Single Case Research Flashcards
What is the Fechner-Weber law?
the intensity of a sensation increases in numeric progression, the stimulus must increase in geometrical progression
What does Nomothetic mean?
refers to studying groups and universal laws
predicts average behaviour then generalises across individuals
What is an example of a Nomothetic theory?
Piaget’s stages of development
What does Idiographic mean?
refers to studying the individual
focuses on uniqueness and richness of individual
Who emphasised the uniqueness of the individual?
Allport (1953)
What is a single case research?
an intensive study of a unit / system
richly detailed
uses variety of sources
explores rare / usual conditions
What has single case research been used to study before?
amnesia
What has been found out about amnesia?
diff kinds of memory
anterograde (inability to make new memories)
retrograde (inability to recall old memories)
What did Scoville and Milner (1957) do a case study on?
Patient HM
anterograde amnesia
intact STM but impaired LTM
What is the case study of Clive Wearing?
had total amnesia
anterograde and retrograde
but had some memories before illness (musical ability)
What did Sperry investigate?
split brain patients
studied hemispheric lateralisation
What did Freud study?
Ann O (patient of Breuer)
first case of psychoanalysis
Wolfman
What are strengths of case studies?
+ in-depth
+ can inspire novel theories
What are some problems with case studies?
- issues with confirmation bias
- cause and effect
- generalisation
- low external and interval validity
What idea evolved from single case research design?
Behaviourism
What methods did BF Skinner use?
repeated observations of a particular subject
used ABAB design
or simple AB design
What is level analysis?
the difference between last observation in one phase and first observation in the next
