Case Studies And Content Analysis Flashcards
What is a case study
Detailed, in depth analysis of an individual, group, institution or event
3 characteristics of case studies
Often longitudinal, favoured by idiographic approaches, often qualitative but can be quantitative
4 evaluation points of case studies
- rich and in depth data
- can be used to investigate rare behaviour and experiences
- difficult to generalise insights gained
- require consideration of important ethical issues
3 examples of case studies
- koluchova twins
- Romanian orphans
- patients KF
Elaboration of ‘offers rich in depth data’
- bc case studies produce more qualitative data
- give insight inti more specific parts of psychology
- needed for psychologists to bind theories through idiographic nature giving deeper understanding
Elaboration of ‘can be used to behaviour and experiences’
- out of our control to assess naturally occurring variables
- that we can’t naturally manufacture
- ethically right helping us to understand things we couldn’t previously understand
- grave ethics
Elaboration ‘difficult to generalise insights gained from a case study’
- no two people live the same experience
- their insights gained can’t be generalised
- probably won’t be relevant
- poor generalisability
Elaboration of ‘case studies require consideration of important ethical issues’
- eg with consent
- post mortem study of the brain in memory research
- eg patient KF could remember what he consented to
Grave - poor ethics
What type of research is content analysis
Observational
The aim of content analysis
To summarise the communication in a systematic way so conclusions can be drawn
What happens during content analysis
Ps are studies indirectly via the communication they produce eg emails, letters, media, conversations and interviews
What is one form of content analysis
Thematic analysis
What is thematic analysis
When reoccuring themes are identified in a descriptive way - usually qualitative data used to create boarder categories
What are the main intentions of thematic analysis
- identifying themes and drawing conclusions
- ensuring the order represents the participants perspective
- imposing order on data
- summarising the data
- enduring no preconceptions emerged instead of the imposed order
Stages of content analysis
Sampling, behavioural categories, read and tally, summarise findings - quantitative
Thematical analysis stages
Sampling, read and highlight, find reoccuring themes, summarise data qualitatively
4 evaluation points of content analysis
- already in public domain - based on real communications
- can produce both qualitative and quantitative data
- indirect measure
- subjective
Elaboration of ‘based on real communications’
- content that we analyse is already in the public domain
- ethics can’t comply
- most infor we look at eg interviews is consented to
Elaboration of ‘can produce quan and qual data’
- high level of detail
- helps to create general laws with deep understanding
- to draw more accurate conclusions
- flexibility in research according to what best fits in the topic
Elaboration of ‘indirect measure’
- what your investigating isn’t specially related to the source
- risk not showing what you’re actually looking for
- poor self report bevause might not write exactly what happened
- therefore missing communication what we would have seen in observation
Elaboration of ‘subjectuve’
Particularly in thematic analysis when picking up themes
- no consistency across people
- leads to unintentional bias or misinterpretation
