After hearing about some possible causes of sneezing, a scientist decides that room fresheners are the most common cause. What is the term that describes the scientist thinking

1. Hypothesis
2. Scientific method
3. Cognitive dissonance
4. Social influence

The term that describes the scientist's thinking in this scenario is a hypothesis.

In the scientific method, a hypothesis is a proposed explanation or educated guess about a phenomenon. It is based on prior knowledge, observations, or existing theories. Scientists use hypotheses as a starting point for conducting experiments or gathering data to test their validity.

In this case, the scientist has heard about possible causes of sneezing and has formulated a hypothesis that room fresheners are the most common cause. To confirm or reject this hypothesis, the scientist would need to design an experiment or conduct further research to gather relevant data.