Case Studies

• Case studies are conducted on one individual or small group over an extended period of time.
• Case studies can include other methods throughout the course of their investigation, such as questionnaires or observations.
• Case studies are in-depth investigations, gathering a vast amount of data from an individual.
• Case studies can be carried out over a long period of time, gathering a vast array of data.
• Case studies are useful in Psychology providing an in-depth understanding of behaviour.
• Case studies can be subjective as a research method, as there can be different interpretations for behaviour.
• Case studies are a valid way of collecting information, especially if qualitative data is gathered.
• Case studies are often used in Psychology to give a detailed understanding for a specific behaviour, as in Watson & Raynor (1920).
• Case studies can be very subjective, especially if the same researcher is used for data collection and analysis, as in Freud (1909).
• Case studies often collect ‘case history’ before they conduct a ‘case analysis’ based on the information gathered.
• Even today, case studies are one of the main methods of investigation in psychopathology and psychiatry.
• Case studies allow researchers to investigate a topic in far more detail than might be possible if they were trying to deal with a large number of research participants (nomothetic approach).
• Case studies adopt an idiographic approach by focusing on the detail from one individual.
• Case studies can be time-consuming and expensive to conduct.
• Case studies are difficult to replicate, decreasing their reliability as a method.
• Case studies can be lacking in scientific rigour and provide little basis for generalisation of results to the wider population.