Science, Tech, Math › Social Sciences Hypothetico-Deductive Method Print Social Sciences Sociology Key Concepts Major Sociologists News & Issues Research, Samples, and Statistics Recommended Reading Psychology Archaeology Economics Ergonomics By Ashley Crossman Updated on March 06, 2017 Read More Constructing a Deductive Theory By Ashley Crossman Definition: The hypothetico-deductive method is an approach to research that begins with a theory about how things work and derives testable hypotheses from it. It is a form of deductive reasoning in that it begins with general principles, assumptions, and ideas, and works from them to more particular statements about what world actually looks like and how it works. The hypotheses are then tested by gathering and analyzing data and the theory is then either supported or refuted by the results. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Crossman, Ashley. "Hypothetico-Deductive Method." ThoughtCo, Jan. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/hypothetico-deductive-reasoning-3026351. Crossman, Ashley. (2020, January 29). Hypothetico-Deductive Method. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/hypothetico-deductive-reasoning-3026351 Crossman, Ashley. "Hypothetico-Deductive Method." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/hypothetico-deductive-reasoning-3026351 (accessed March 29, 2024). copy citation