⭐ • Research Methods: Case Studies Flashcards
What is a case study?
An in-depth study of one individual or a small group
What is a term to describe the nature of a case study?
Ideographic
On what type of people are studies conducted?
On a person/ small group that is usually interesting or unusual in some specific way
What type of study is a case study?
A longitudinal study that follows the development of an individual/ small group over a long period of time
What type of data is commonly gathered in case studies?
Much of the data may be qaualitative, but some may also be quantitative as well
What is the research method used in case studies called?
Triangulation
What is triangulation?
When multiple differing research methods including observation, interviews & questionnaires (self-report), standardised tests (scans) etc.. are used to collect the data
What is the purpose of triangulation?
To give the biggest picture possible of what has happened to the individual/ group with the widest amount of data possible to support it
Explain the case study of HM
- HM = Had epilepsy and as a result underwent an operation in attemps to reduce it/ his siezures
- He had a surgery that sought to remove his hippocampus as it was theorized in the 1940s to be the source of some epileptic seizures
- His personality and intallect remained intact e.g. he could still understood words and their meanings
- But as a result he lost the ability to form new long-term memories
- Also lost some of his memories from a few years before operation
Give 2 strengths to case studies as a research method
- The use of triangulation to combine multiple methods of gathering data (qualitative and quantitative) to provide a bigger picture on the state of the individual/ small group. This increases scientific creditability of findings and the diagnosis of the patient(s)
- With case studies being longitudinal studies, they allow for the specific individual/ small group to be reassessed multiple times over long periods of time. Therefore providing rich, complex and in-depth data and thus increasing validity
Give 2 weaknesses to case studies as a research method
- Due to specific ideographic nature of study, results are incapable of being generalised to a wider population as they fail to be representative of anyone but the individual/ small group studied due to the unique characterisitics commonly studied - lack generalisability and are not representative
- Within case studies, qualitative data is most commonly produced when researching. As a result of this, results can be deemed as low in vailidity as they fail to be objective (quantitative) as text can be interepreted differently per each individual that reads it - leading to subjectivity and lower validity + creditability
Make a link between the strengths of case studies and HM
- Increased Validity due to rich, complex and in-depth data (Triangulation); HM: A wide variety of research methods were used on him, for example, HM was involved in multiple MRI scans, interviews and also numerous memory tests - ultimately generating both qualitative and quantitative data, thus highlighting the use of triangulation and therefore increased validity
- Increased scientific creditability (Longitudinal); HM: He was studied closlely for 50 years, truly allowing for an in-depth longitudinal study with prolonged amounts of observation - thus allowing many reasessments and increased creditability and reliability
Make a link between the weaknesses of case studies and HM
- Lack generalisability and are not representative (Specific characteristics); HM: 27 year old was operated on in efforts to remove hippocampus, in the process his memory was greatly impacted, consequently making him a very unique individual - so can’t generalise
- Subjectivity and lower validity + creditability (Mainly qualitative data); HM: He was interviewed over multiple decades by the same woman called Suzanne Corkin; the bulk of his interviews being held by one person generated qualitative data and would have certainly lead to subjectivity rather than obejctivity
Explain the case study of Clive Wearing
- Clive = musician who suffered from brain damage from encephalitis (a viral infection), as a result had almost complete amneisa
- He lost the ability to encode new memories and therefore forgets all new information within 30 seconds
- Always feels like hes coming into consiousness for the first time
- Although, he does remember his love for his wife deborah
- And is capable, despite inability to encode new memories, of singing and remembering how to play the piano
