Case studies - A-Level

Question 1

case study definition

Answer 1

an in-depth investigation, description and analysis of an single individual, group, institution or event

Question 2

what does it mean to study a ‘case’ in psychology

Answer 2

provide a detailed and in-depth analysis of an individual, group, institution or event

Question 3

what do case studies often involve

Answer 3

analysis of unusual individuals or events, such as a person with a rare disorder or the sequence of events (such as the sequence of events that led to the 2011 London riots). however can also focus on cases that are seen as more typical (such as an elderly persons recollections of their childhood)

Question 4

what does conducting a case study usually (but not exclusively) involve - data

Answer 4

production of qualitative data

Question 5

what is often constructed

Answer 5

case history

Question 6

how is a case history collected

Answer 6

using interviews, observations, questionnaires, or a combination of all these. the person could also be subject to experimental or psychological testing to access what they are and are not capable of which may produce quantitative data

Question 7

what might produce quantitative data in the case history

Answer 7

experimental or psychological testing

Question 8

case studies time

Answer 8

over a long period so are longitudinal

Question 9

who can data be gathered form

Answer 9

family and friends as well as the person themselves

Question 10

strengths of case studies

Answer 10

-able to offer rich and detailed insights which can shed light on a very unusual and atypical form of behaviour. this is preferred to more superficial forms of data that can be collected, for example, form a questionnaire or experiment
-may contribute to understanding of ‘typical functioning’ such as in the case of HM showing typical memory processing and that STM and LTM are separate stores
-can be used to generate hypothesis for future study and even one contradictory instance may lead to the revision of an entire theory

Question 11

limitation of case studies

Answer 11

-generalisation of findings can be issue as there is such a small sample size.
-the information that makes it to the final report is based on subjective interpretation of the researcher. in addition to this the personal accounts from the friends and family of the participants may be prone to inaccuracy and memory decay, especially is childhood stories are being told
-this means that evidence from case studies has low validity