Case studies

Question 1

What is a case study?

Answer 1

An in depth investigation of 1 person or a small group of people

Question 2

What do case studies investigate?

Answer 2

Naturally occurring events

Question 3

What can a case study be?

Answer 3

Longitudinal or retrospective

Question 4

What are the strengths of case studies?

Answer 4

1. Rich and detailed making it highly valid (e.g. the Little Hans study)
2. The method has an abundance of ecological validity

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of case studies?

Answer 5

1. The method can be subjective (e.g. Freud’s theory- Oedipus complex)
2. The method suffers from low generalisability
3. The method has low reliability as participants often have to recall things from years ago they may not remember