The phrase "hypothesis generation" refers to the process of coming up with educated guesses or ideas about something, based on observations or limited information. Full definition
Scientific reasoning in early and middle childhood: the development of domain - general evidence evaluation, experimentation, and hypothesis generation skills. (parentingscience.com)
Scientists in our group combine methods development, data generation and analysis with hypothesis generation and experimental testing to obtain insights into biological mechanisms of disease. (embl.de)
This chapter covered the four types of hypothesis generation and testing tasks: experimental inquiry, problem solving, decision making, and investigation. (ascd.org)