What term is used to describe a general statement of what the researcher intends to study or investigate?

The term that is most accurately described by "a general statement of what the researcher intends to study or investigate" is 'Aim.' The aim provides a broad overview of the research focus and outlines the overall goal of the study, guiding the direction of the research process. It sets the context and framework within which the researcher operates and formulates more specific questions or hypotheses later in the research.

While a hypothesis is a testable prediction or proposition about the relationship between variables, and a research question defines specific questions the research seeks to answer, neither encapsulates the overarching intention of the research as succinctly as the aim does. Variables refer to the elements or factors that are being measured or manipulated in the study, which is a more technical aspect of the research rather than the initial aim of exploration.