case studies and content analysis Flashcards
1
Q
case studies
A
- provides a detailed and in-depth analysis of an individual, group, institution or event
- often involves analysis of unusual individuals or events, such as someone with a rare disorder
- may also concentrate on more typical cases, such as an elderly person’s recollections of their childhood
- usually involves production of qualitative data
- may construct a case history of individuals, perhaps by using interviews, observations etc.
- person mat be subject to experimental or psychological testing to assess what they are and aren’t capable of, this may produce quantitative data
- case studies are usually longitudinal and may involve gathering additional data from family and friends
2
Q
content analysis
A
- type of observational research where people are studied indirectly via communications they produce
- forms of communication may include spoken interaction, written forms, or broader examples from the media
- aim is to summarise and describe this communication in a systematic way so that conclusions can be drawn
3
Q
content analysis - coding and quantitative data
A
- coding is initial stage of content analysis
- some data sets may be extremely large and need to be categorised into meaningful units
- may involve simply counting the number of times a particular word or phrase appears, to produce quantitative data
- for example, newspaper reports may be analysed for the number of times derogatory terms for people with mental health issues are used
4
Q
content analysis - thematic analysis and qualitative data
A
- form of content analysis but outcome is qualitative
- main process involves identification of themes
- a theme in content analysis refers to any idea, explicit or implicit, that is recurrent
- likely to be more descriptive than coding units
- for example, people with mental health issues may be misinterpreted in newspapers as a ‘threat to the well-being of children’ etc, and this may then be developed into broader categories
- once researcher is satisfied that themes cover most aspects of data they are analysing, may collect a new set of data to test validity of themes and categories
- will then write up final report, typically using direct quotes from data
5
Q
evaluation strengths of case studies
A
- offer rich, detailed insights that shed light on unusual and atypical forms of behaviour
- may be preferred to more superficial forms of data that may be collected from an experiment etc.
- may contribute to understanding of typical functioning
- the case of HM demonstrated typical memory processing
- may generate hypotheses for future study and one solitary, contradictory instance may lead to revision of an entire theory
6
Q
evaluation limitations of case studies
A
- generalisation of findings is an issue when dealing with such small samples
- information that makes it into final reports is based on subjective selection and interpretation of the researcher
- personal accounts from participant and family / friends may be prone to inaccuracy and memory decay
- evidence from case studies is a bit low in validity
7
Q
evaluation strengths of content analysis
A
- can circumnavigate many ethical issues normally associated with research
- much of the material studied may already exist in the public domain, therefore there are no issues obtaining permission
- such communications are high in external validity
- content analysis is flexible in sense that it may produce both types of data depending on aims
8
Q
evaluation limitations of content analysis
A
- people tend to be studied indirectly, communications they produce are usually analysed outside of the context where it occurred
- danger that researcher may attribute opinions and motivations to speaker or writer that were not intended originally
- many modern analysts are clear about how their own biases and preconceptions influence research process, will often reference these in final report
- however, content analysis may still suffer from lack of objectivity
