Case studies

Question 1

CASE STUDIES

Answer 1

in-depth investigation focused on an individual or small group of people
+ highly valid data
+ Ps may disclose more to the experimenter due to trust
+ may give unique insight into rare psychology
- hard to analyse lots of data
- experimenter may lose their objectivity - research bias lowers validity
- Ps may be affected by demand characteristics
- Ps may be unaware of time commitment in case study (years)
- threat to Ps privacy and right to confidentiality
- low reliability and difficult to replicate - can’t check for consistency
- results less generalisable as a sample of an individual or small group is not representative - Ps may have abnormal psychology

Question 2

TRIANGULATION

Answer 2

using lots of different techniques should produce more valid findings