Deci and Ryan (1985, 2001) Have Proposed That There Are

Deci and Ryan (1985, 2001) have proposed that there are three fundamental needs that are required for human growth and fulfillment: relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Susan predicts that students who have these needs met in their psychology class feel happier and more satisfied with the class. She collects data and finds that students who feel more related and competent do feel happier but that feeling more autonomous does not seem to matter. Susan thinks that maybe autonomy is only necessary when people are in situations in which they are not being evaluated.
Deci and Ryan's general statement of how the three needs are related to growth and fulfillment is an example of which of the following?

A) A theory
B) A hypothesis
C) Data
D) Research