Answer: hypothesis
Explanation:
What is a hypothesis ?
Hypothesis is an uncertain or a non definite statement about a relationship that may exist between two or more variables, this statement need to be put under the test in order to get the proof of that prediction.
Hypothesis can be accepted or rejected depending on what the outcome of the test result was or is.
For example above Gerald wants to prove a statement or test a statement that that peer pressure is not the primary reason that adolescents start smoking cigarettes.