case studies Flashcards
1
Q
what is a case study
A
detailed investigation of a single, group or institution of individuals
2
Q
why are case studies sometimes only a small sample
A
as there may only be a few ppl who posses these rare behaviours
3
Q
what is a longitudinal case study
A
one which lasts weeks, months, years or decades, (changes are observed over time)
4
Q
what do case studies involve
A
several different types of methods (e.g observations, interviews etc)
5
Q
why do case studies involve several different types of methods?
A
to check for consistency, reliability, ad validity
6
Q
adv of case studies
A
- create oppt for rich yield of data, and the depth of the data can in turn bring high levels of validity
- studying abnormalities, can give insights into how things work when functioning correctly
- allows observation of thing that would be unethical to impose of ppl themselves
7
Q
disadv of case studies
A
- they’re unusual by nature so will have poor reliability as being able to replicate will be unlikely
- researcher bias may occur, and lose objectivity for what they are testing
- due to small sample size data cannot be generalised to wider population