Answer:
The correct answer is:
you are stating that the independent variable had no effect on the dependent variable.
Explanation:
Statistical researches are aimed at making inferences, from the results or findings made when the scientific method has been employed. A typical scientific research sets out to identify a problem or outcome and the relationship between that outcome and another variable called the independent variable. But in order to begin the experiment, the scientist must be negative in his/her disposition towards the association in question, hence the null hypothesis. The null hypothesis therefore, is a default statement that states that there is no relationship between two measured variables (independent and dependent variable). For example if one sets out to study the association between smoking and infertility, the null hypothesis will read something like: ' Smoking has no significant effect on the fertility status of long term smokers'.
At the end of the research, the null hypothesis is either rejected or accepted depending on the finding, if rejected, a new statement is written to conform with the findings and this statement is known as the alternative hypothesis. In the example I gave above, if the null hypothesis is rejected, it means that there is a significant association between smoking and fertility, hence the alternative hypothesis can be stated thus: 'There is a significant effect of smoking on fertility status of long term smokers". On the other hand, if the null hypothesis is accepted, it means the original statement is true, in line with experimental results, and that smoking does not affect fertility status in any significant way.
