Case Studies

• • What are weaknesses of a case study?

  • Findings cannot be generalised easily to other individuals
  • Informative often based on retrospective data- so may not be accurate
  • Difficult to replicate as they lack reliability
• How is confidentiality maintained in case studies?


  .By making sure individuals are not identifiable when reporting the case study- done by using a different name/ initials
• What are the main limitations of case studies?


  Each individual‘s experience is unique so results cannot be generalised to others

  Evidence from an individual’s past may be difficult to verify

  Researchers may get to know the individual well which may lead to a loss of objectivity
• Define case study?


  It is an in depth study of one person/ group of people over time, usually carried out in the real world. They are idiographic and very individualistic
• What are case studies done over a long period of time called?

  Longitudinal case studies
• Do case studies always have to be done over a long period of time?

  no
• What do case studies involve?


  A retrospective analysis
• What was the HM case study?


  HM - memory - HM knew how to tie shoelaces but couldn't remember stroking a dog. Showing his procedural memory was intact but his episodic memory wasnt so there are different types of long term memeory that are stored in different parts of the brain
• What was the Little Hans case study?

  Little Hans- psychodynamic approach - Freud used his case study as evidence for the Oedipus complex
• What are the strengths of case studies?

  • Detailed so able to gain depth and insight
  • It forms a basis for future research
  • Studying unusual cases allows researchers to infer things about human behaviour
  • It permits investigations of situations that would otherwise be unethical
• What are some limitations of case studies?


  • They are not generalisable to wider populations as data is only gathered from one person
  • Interviewer biases may be presented e.g. social desirability bias (person) and interpretative bias (researcher)
  • Retropsective studies may rely on memeory which can be inaccurate
  • Time consuming and difficult to replicate