Case Studies

• Case studies

  • a case study is an in-depth investigation of one person or a group of people overtime
  • they are usually carried out in the real world
  • they are idiographic and individualistic (unique to the individual)
  • they can be longitudinal (done over multiple points in time) or retrospective (done after the event)
• Case study process

  the researcher uses a variety of methods within case studies, such as;

  • interviews with the individual
  • interviews with people who know those involved (family, friends, colleagues, doctors etc)
  • observations
  • psychological tests
• The case of Clive Wearing - Baddeley (1990):

  (based on Blackmore, 1988)

  • background - in March 1985, Clive Wearing suffered a rare brain infection caused by the cold sore virus (Herpes Simplex). The virus attacked and destroyed his hippocampus along with parts of his cortex
• The case of Clive Wearing - Baddeley (1990)

  • case history - Wearing seems to live in a 'snapshot of time', constantly believing he has just awoken from years of unconsciousness. This causes confusion and is extremely frightening. Once he held a chocolate in the palm of his hand, covered it with his other hand for a few seconds, and when he uncovered it (after the memory had disappeared), he believed he had performed a magic trick, conjuring the chocolate from thin air. He can still speak and walk and can learn new skills but his capacity for remembering earlier life is extremely patchy
• The case of Clive Wearing - Baddeley (1990)

  • impact on psychology - this case study helps us to understand what part of the brain is responsible for short-term memory and also helps us to understand that different parts of the brain have different functions
• The case of Genie - Curtiss (1977)

  • case history - Genie was discovered in conditions of severe deprivation in a house living with her parents. Although she was 13 when found, she looked like a child of 7. Genie was completely unsocialised as she spent most of the time in a dark room and was beaten if she made any noise. Genie never developed normal language skills, and by the age of 18 she could only produce short sentences which lacked important aspects of grammar
• The case of Genie - Curtiss (1977)

  • impact on psychology - highlights how language is a critical learning period (have to learn it at a certain time). It also shows the importance of socialisation and early attachment in development
• Evaluation of case studies

  S - high level of rich detail

  S - high in ecological validity

  W - usually on 1 person/ a small group of people (low population validity therefore not generalisable)

  W - evidence from past experiences can be difficult to verify