A research hypothesis may be defined as a statement ______.

A) regarding a spurious relationship between variables
B) regarding a general question of interest
C) regarding an expected relationship between variables
D) developed at the end of a research study

A research hypothesis is a tentative statement that predicts the relationship between two or more variables. It is developed before the research study and is based on a general question of interest. The hypothesis usually predicts the direction of the relationship (e.g., positive or negative) and the expected outcome (e.g., higher scores on one variable will be associated with higher scores on another variable). Option A is incorrect because a spurious relationship is a false relationship that arises when two variables are correlated, but their relationship is due to a third variable. Option B is incorrect because while a hypothesis may be based on a general question, it is more specific than a general question. Finally, option D is incorrect because a research hypothesis is developed at the beginning of a study, not the end.