Case studies and content analysis Flashcards
1
Q
what does studying a case in psychology mean
A
- provide a detailed and in depth analysis of unusual individuals or events
- production of qualitative data
- construct a case history of the individual concerned
- longitudinal
2
Q
what is content analysis
A
- observational research in which people are studied indirectly via the communication they have produced
- aims to summarise and describe communication in a systematic way so overall conclusions can be drawn
3
Q
what is coding
A
- the initial stage of content analysis
- large data sets are categorises into meaningful units
- may involve counting the number of times a particular word or phase appears in order to produce quantitative data
4
Q
what is a thematic analysis
A
- form of content analysis but outcome is qualitative
- main process involves identifying themes
5
Q
in content analysis what is a theme
A
- any idea that is recurrent
- more descriptive than coding units
- themes may then be developed into broader categorises
6
Q
strength of content analysis
A
- can circumnavigate the ethical issues associated with psychological research
- the material that the analyst studies may already exist within the public domain
- no problem obtaining permission
- high in external validity - flexible
- can produce both qualitative and quantitative data depending on the aim of the research
7
Q
limitation of content analysis
A
- people are studied indirectly as part of content analysis so the communications they produce are outside the context within which it occurred.
- danger that the researcher may attribute opinions and motivations to the speaker that were not originally intended
- may suffers form a lack of objectivity
8
Q
strength of case studies
A
- offer rich detailed insight that may shed light on very unusual and atypical forms of behaviour
9
Q
limitations of case studies
A
