Case study + content analysis

• What is content analysis ?

  It’s the type of observational technique which involves in studying people,indirectly through qualitative data ( secondary ) . Qualitative data collected in a range of formats can be used such as video , audio recordings,(or the interviews transcripts),written responses,(such as those provided to an open question in a questionnaire ) or even children drawing . Content analysis helps to classify responses in a way that is systematic, which can then allow clear conclusions to be drawn .
• What’s it important for researchers using content analysis to have their research quetsions formulated?

  This is so they can know exactly what their content analysis will focus on . Researchers must familiarise themselves with the data before conducting any analysis , so that they are confident that their coding system is appropriate for the task ahead .
• How is content analysis useful ?

  It’s helpful when conduction research that would otherwise be considered unethical . Any data that’s already been released into the public domain , such as newspaper articles is available for analysis meaning that explicit consent is not required . For material that is of a sensitive nature for example dv , content analysis can also prove useful as ppts can write a report of their experience which can be used in analysis . This allows high quality data to be collected, even in different circumstances.
• How to perform a content analysis ?

  1)Decide a research question

  2) Select a sample (e.g. randomly/systematically) from a larger quantity of

  all possible data (e.g. diary entries, tweets, children’s books)

  3) Coding – the researcher decides on categories/coding units to be recorded (e.g. occurrences of particular words), these are based on the research question

  4) Work through the data – read the sample, and tally the number of times the pre-determined categories appear

  5) Data analysis – can be performed on quantitative data to look for patterns
• How to perform a thematic analysis

  1. Collect text/turn recordings into text through transcription (writing it down)

  2) Read text/transcripts first to spot patterns that can be coded and collected

  3) Re-read the transcriptions/codes looking for emergent themes

  *themes are NOT pre determined – they come from/emerge from the text
• How can content analysis produce findings that can be very subjective?

  For example , the researcher interpret some things said in an interview in a completely different manner from how they were intended, due to their own preconceptions , judgements or biases. Cultural differences may contribute to inconsistent interpretation of behaviour coding since language may be translated and therefore interpreted differently by someone of a different nationality . As a result , the findings from a content analysis can be questioned since it may not have been measuring what it intended to with accuracy.
• What’s a strength of both content analysis and thematic analysis?

  It has high ecological validity. Much of analysis that takes place is within these research methods are basing their conclusions on observations of real-life behaviour and written and visual communications.For example analysis can take place on books people have read or programmes that people have watched on television.Since records of these qualitative sources remain,replication of the content/thematic analysis can be conducted.if results were found to be consistent on re-analysis then they would be said to be reliable.
• What is the purpose of a case study?

  It’s to provide a detailed analysis of an individual,establishment or real life event.
• What do cause studies not refer to?

  Case studies don’t refer to the way in which the research was conducted,as case studies can use experimental or non-experimental methods to collect data (triangulation) for example ,interviews , questionnaires , secondary data 
• When are case studies normally used?

  Where there is a rare behaviour being investigated which doesn’t 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 famous case studies we’ve learned about .

  HM , Phineas gage and Tan
• Why is they methodological issues associated with the use of case studies?


  By only studying 1 individual,an isolated event or a small group of people it is very difficult to generalise any finding to the wider population,since results are likely to be so unique.Therefore,this 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.
• Why would subjectivity become a problem?

  Particularly when qualitative methods are used subjectivity could become a problem..in the case study of Little Hans , for e.g Freud delevloped an entire theory based around 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 can’t be sure that he objectively reported his findings.Consequently, a major limitation with case studies is that research bias and subjectivity can interfere with the validity of the findings / conclusions
• How is having a detailed case study a strength ?

  It offers 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 of one variable in order to measure its effect on another. Further to this , case studies can be ethical to examine experimentally. For example the case study of genie allowed researchers to understand the long term effects of failure which they couldn’t do with a human ppt unless it naturally occurred.