A statement that predicts the cause-and-effect relationship between variables is known as the

A statement predicting a cause-and-effect relationship between variables is the experimental hypothesis.

A null hypothesis instead states that no relationship or difference exists.

An independent variable is the manipulated cause, not a predictive statement.

A dependent variable is the measured effect, not a statement at all.

The experimental hypothesis, also called the alternative hypothesis, is directional here.

It is tested against the null, which the analysis seeks to reject.