Case studies - Paper 3 Flashcards
Case
What is a case study?
* An in-depth investigation of human experience in the participants natural environment
- A person
- A family
- A social group
- An event
- An organisation
Individuals studied in context *
Case studies it is not a research method in itself, but is more of a research strategy Useful to investigate sensitive topics e.g. health issues, team cohesion
Researcher selects different methods to collect data e.g. interviews, diaries, letters, photos, official documents, observations etc.
Often uses triangulation; when more than one method, researchers, data, theories to gather data
The aim is to describe, understand and explain a psychological/social phenomenon from perspective of the individual case
Case
What types of case studies are there, and how does it work?
Person - a study of one single unique of this particular individual
Group - a study of a single distinctive set of people, such as a family or small group of friends that have been through the same phenomenon.(pregnant women, cancer, schizophrenia)
Location - a study of a particular place, and the way that is is used or regarded by people, how people act in that location. (a religious spot Lourdes or a war location)
Organisation - a study of a single organisation or company, and the way that people act within it.
Event - a study of a particular social or cultural event, and the interpretations of that event by those participating in it. (olympic games, demonstration, pride)
The purpouse is not to try to generalis it, but look into why people behave in that kind of manner
Case
What is intrinsice case study?
Study unique phenomena which only represent nothing but themselves, and does not aim to generalise.
Is chosen because they are intresting in their own right, and want to know more about them.
Case
What is extrinsic case study?
Usually relates to several intrinsic case studies that were performed on a carefully chosen sample. Similar entities e.g. schools.
If common factors related to each school emerged then generalisation might be possible
Study more general phenomena of interest, the aim is then to try to generalise
Strength with case studies
** Stimulates new research** - a case study can sometimes highlight extraordinary behaviour, which can stimulate new research.
Contradicting established theories - Case studies may sometimes contradict established psychological theories. e.g. Severely deprived Czech twins, the remarkable recovery they showed when placed in a caring social environment. Challenged critical period theory
Giving insight into phenomena or experience - Gives insight into phenomena we could not gain in any other way. e.g. S.B. a blind man given sight in adulthood. Helped research with sight process and perception.
Permitting investigation of otherwise inaccessible situations - Situations that could not be engineered in labs. e.g. Genie severely deprived child, infancy to puberty. Unethical to create a situation like this.
It can contridict established theories and help to dvelop new ones
Case
Limitation with case studies
Replication not possible - Uniqueness of data means that they are valid for only one person.
Reliability low.
The researcher’s own subjective feelings researcher bias - Applies for both data collection and interpretation of them.
Memory distortions and social desierability- Heavy reliance on memory (narritive interviews) when reconstruction case studies which could be subject to distortion. Participants may also change their accounts to be more socially acceptable
Definition of case studies - What is the difference between triangulation and case studies?
What are the ethics that should be considered during a case study?
- Confidentiality – the nature of the study means information must be shared in write ups – identity of participants
- Anonymity – exploring extremely small details e.g. child abuse
- Labelling the individual may lead to this person facing phill struggle
- Professional competence to deal with the problems of cases.
- Interpersonal relationships – close and feelings.
Is it possible to generalise from a single case study?
- Not possible to generalise because:
a. Replication
b. Prediction
c. Sampling
- Small purposive samples, statistically not representative, difficult to generalise.
- HOWEVER, if there is evidence from other studies confirming the findings then it is possible. If patterns are found in multiple cases the theory derived from the single case gains recognition.
- Researcher must rely on thick rich descriptive data which is transferable.
- Is can be generalise but is hard to do that because of, a,b,c but however is still possible
- If evidence from other studies confirms the findings, it might be possible to generalize to people who are similar to those in the case study (general is always present in the individual)
- The findings may be applicable to similar settings (transferability)
- Single case studies may be generalized to theory
