L18 - Case Studies Flashcards
what is the PURPOSE of a CASE STUDY?
The PURPOSE of a CASE STUDY is to provide a DETAILED ANALYSIS of an INDIVIDUAL, ESTABLISHMENT or REAL LIFE EVENT
A case study DOES NOT REFER to the WAY IN WHICH THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED, as CASE STUDIES can use EXPERIMENTAL or NON EXPERIMENTAL METHODS to COLLECT DATA
E.g a researcher may want to INTERVIEW PPS, provide a QUESTIONNAIRE to their FAMILY or FRIENDS and even CONDUCT A MEMORY TEST UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS to provide a RICH and DETAILED OVERVIEW of HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
when are CASE STUDIES used?
CASE STUDIES are OFTEN USED when there is a RARE BEHAVIOUR being investigated which DOES NOT ARISE OFTEN ENOUGH to warrant a LARGER STUDY BEING CONDUCTED
A CASE STUDY allows DATA TO BE COLLECTED and ANALYSED on something that psychologists have VERY LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF, and can therefore be the STARTING POINT, for FURTHER, MORE IN DEPTH RESEARCH
what are SOME EXAMPLES of FAMOUS CASE STUDIES?
Examples of FAMOUS CASE STUDIES in PSYCHOLOGY include: HM, PHINEAS GAGE, LITTLE ALBERT and LITTLE HANS, psychologists have studied IMPORTANT EVENTS such as the 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACK in AMERICA and the RIOTS which began in LONDON and SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE UK IN 2011
+ UNIQUE INSIGHTS (EVALUATION OF CASE STUDIES)
+ A STRENGTH of CASE STUDIES is that they offer the OPPORTUNITY to UNVEIL RICH, DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT A SITUATION
These UNIQUE INSIGHTS can OFTEN BE OVERLOOKED in situations where there is ONLY THE MANIPULATION OD ONE VARIABLE in order to MEASURE ITS EFFECT ON ANOTHER
+ UNETHICAL SITUATIONS (EVALUATION OF CASE STUDIES)
+ Another STRENGTH of CASE STUDIES is that they CAN BE USED in circumstances which WOULD NOT BE ETHICAL to EXAMINE EXPERIMENTALLY
E.g the CASE STUDY of GENIE ALLOWED RESEARCHERS to UNDERSTAND THE LONG TERM EFECTS of FAILURE to FORM AN ATTACHMENT which they COULD NOT DO WITH A HUMAN PARTICIPANT UNLESS IT NATURALLY OCCURRED
- METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES, POPULATION VALIDITY (EVALUATION OF CASE STUDIES)
- A WEAKNESS of CASE STUDIES is that there are METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES with the USE OF CASE STUDIES
By ONLY STUDYING ONE INDIVIDUAL, an ISOLATED EVENT or a SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE it is VERY DIFFICULT TO GENERALISE ANY FINDINGS to the WIDER POPULATION since RESULTS ARE LIKELY TO BE SO UNIQUE
This therefore creates ISSUES WITH EXTERNAL VALIDITY as psychologists are UNABLE TO CONCLUDE with CONFIDENCE that ANYONE BEYOND THE CASE will BEHAVE IN THE SAME WAY UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES, thus LOWERING POPULATION VALIDITY
- SUBJECTIVITY (EVALUATION OF CASE STUDIES)
- Another ISSUE in CASE STUDIES, particularly where QUALITATIVE METHODS are USED, is that the RESEARCHER’S OWN SUBJECTIVITY MAY POSE A PROBLEM
In the CASE STUDY OF LITTLE HANS for example, FREUD developed an ENTIRE THEORY BASED ON WHAT HE OBSERVED
There was NO SCIENTIFIC or EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE to SUPPORT HIS SUGGESTIONS from HIS CASE STUDY. This means that a MAJOR PROBLEM with his research is that we CANNOT BE SURE that he OBJECTIVELY REPORTED HIS FINDINGS
- BIAS, SUBJECTIVITY (EVALUATION OF CASE STUDIES)
- CONSEQUENTLY, a MAJOR LIMITATION with CASE STUDIES is that RESEARCH BIAS and SUBJECTIVITY can INTERFERE with the VALIDITY OF THE FINDINGS/CONCLUSION
E.g the researcher may MISINTERPRET BEHAVIOURS DELIBERATELY because it will DEVELOP THEIR REPUTATION AMONGST PSYCHOLOGISTS if they come out with a ‘BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERY’
