L2 - Case Studies

Question 1

What are case studies?

Answer 1

• involve detailed investigation into single individual/group/insititution
• aim to be scientific & objective when investigating

Question 2

How is data collected in case studies?

Answer 2

• Using Systematic methods
• can collect qualitative in depth data (e.g. interviews & observations) or quantitative data (e.g. questionnaires & experiments)
• or a mixture of both methods can be used
• can take place over a long period of time e.g. weeks/months - may become a longitudinal study whereby a person/group can be tracked over a long time period in order to look for changes that may occur

Question 3

Who do case studies focus on?

Answer 3

• small number of people; maybe the psychologist only found 1/2 people who show the rare/fascinating behaviour