Case Studies And Content Analysis Flashcards
Outline what is meant by a Case study in psychological research
A case study involves the detailed study of an individual or small group. They often involve studying the individual for a long period of time.
List the techniques research might use in a case study.
Observations, reports, interviews, brain scans, medical report, IQ tests, etc
Give a strength of using case studies in psychological research
Offers rich, in-depth data, make use of unusual individuals and circumstances that could not be studied experimentally. Allows the study of the interaction of a variety of factors and in this way more realistic than artificially controlled studies.
Why is it difficult to make generalisations from case study research?
Subjective experience in a unique way and we don’t know if this would happen to others the same.
How can the confidentiality ethical issues be addressed in case studies?
Using initials e.g KF instead of full name
Outline what is meant by content analysis in psychological research
A content analysis involves analysing material people have produced according to themes or categories.
Give an example of how a content analysis of how the media portrays mental illness can be coded using a quantitative method.
Media reports describing people who are mentally ill can be analysed for the number of times derogatory terms e.g. ‘mad’, ‘crazy’, ‘insane’ are used.
What is meant by thematic analysis?
Thematic analysis produces qualitative data. Thematic analysis involves identifying themes that keeps cropping up. Themes are broader and less specific than the codes used in quantitative data.
Give an example of how a thematic analysis of how the media portrays mental illness can be analysed using qualitative method
Themes for an analysis of media reports of the mentally ill may be ‘drain on societies resources’, ‘lack of funding’, ‘uses of derogatory terms’.
How would the reliability of a content analysis be assessed?
Inter-rater reliability (same process as inter-observer reliability)
1. Multiple raters independently code the categories
2. Scores from each rater are correlated (0.8 or above means it had good reliability).
Give strengths of using content analysis for psychological research.
- Less ethical issues due to often looking at communications that already exists in the public domain.
- High in external validity because they study materials people have produced.
- Can be replicated and tested for reliability
Give limitations of using content analysis in psychological research
People are being studied indirectly ( this can lack context that makes things meaningful)
Researchers bias is likely.
