In surveys conducted by gerald, many adolescents report that they started smoking cigarettes because of peer pressure. while observing adolescent groups, however, gerald rarely sees adolescents offering each other cigarettes or putting pressure on others to smoke. gerald predicts that if he conducts further studies on this topic, he will be able to prove that peer pressure is not the primary reason that adolescents start smoking cigarettes. in the context of psychology’s scientific method, gerald is basing his further studies on

Gerald is basing his further studies on hypothesis.

Explanation:

What is a hypothesis?

Is an uncertain statement or non definite statement about a relationship that may exist between two variables or more variable which stand to be tested and be proven.

This statement defines what a researcher expect to be the outcome of a test to be made

For example, a study above to examine that they may be other factors contributing to smoking other that the assumed peer pressure .

the test will be expected to show those other factors after the research is done or not show them if they dont exist.