case studies

• a case study is an in-depth inquiry of a single person, group, event or community
• case studies are used to study people or situations that cannot be studied through normal methods like experiments, questionnaires or interviews
• case study

  • investigates a phenomenon within real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly known
  • freud's theories were developed through case studies
  • the 5 year old 'little hans'
  • case study of phineas gage
• case studies

  • adopt longitudinal studies - they take place over a period, typically months. they record changes in the behaviour and mental state of the participants over that period
• case studies

  • use a mixture of methods
  • focus on interviews and observations and collect qualitative data
  • more recent case studies mix this qualitative approach with questionnaires and biological measures to collect quantitative data too
• ideographic approach

  • involve simply recording what happens to - or reconstructing what has already happened to - signle participant or group of individuals
  • it does not test hypothesis, look for causes or try to uncover laws
  • case studies allows a researcher to investigate a topic in far more detail than might be possible if they were trying to deal with many research participants
• nomothetic approach

  • if a case study shows interesting or unexpected results, it may be followed up with a wider-questionnaire design or experiment to draw conclusions about people in general
  • in the hope of uncovering scientific laws by "averaging out" the data on lots of individuals
• prospective case studies

  • observe an individual or group of people to determine what happens to them. for example, a patient might be watched over time to observe the progression of a mental disorder
• retrospective case studies

  • looks at historical information
  • for example, psychologists might start with an outcome, such as a mental disorder, and then uncover information about the individuals life to determine risk factors that may have contributed to the illness
• instrumental case studies

  • occur when the individual allows psychologists to understand more than what is initially obvious to study - something that cannot be manipulated in a lab experiment
  • case study of HM
• generalisability

  • very small sample groups - often just a single person
  • a sample isn't unrepresentative just because its small. a sample of one person could be generalisable if that one person was the most statistically representative person in the world (Avg height, average I)
  • case studies make a point of looking at unrepresentative people - people with deviant behaviour, mental disorders. not representative or normal people
• reliability

  • case studies that are rich in qualitative data may be unreliable
  • this is because they can be highly subjective: the researchers own, highly personal impression of the participant
  • to overcome, use standardised procedures to gather quantitative data e.g.:
  • biometric data: brain scans, genetic profiles, fingerprints or blood samples
  • psychometric data: often comes from filling in questionnaires or solving cognitive tests
• reliability cont...

  • even with standardised procedures, case studies can be unreliable
  • this is because the participants being studied are often so unusual, its hard to find anyone similar to replicate the study
  • other participants in case sstudies were rare but not unique
• application

  • particularly useful in clinical psychology because they shed light on unusual conditions that don't fit the patterns of normal behaviour
• application

  • a retrospective case study might suggest factors that could have caused a mental disorder. for example, case studies might explore PTSD or neglect in a patient's past as well as genetic differences or brain damage that make a patient unusual
• application

  • prospective case studies help with the evaluation of therapies, by showing whether someone with an unusual disorder benefits from a particular type of therapy. for example, bradshaw's case study of a young woman with schizophrenia suggests that cognitive therapy can be helpful for this disorder
• application

  • instrumental case studies help us understand a disorder better by showing exactly how it affects a sufferer. milners case study of HM is a good example of this
• application

  ideographic studies cant derive theories, laws or causal e=conclusions from them. further study is needed to test hypotheses and produce generalised conclusions
• validity

  • case studies 'get under the skin' of the participants and help the researchers understand the participants much more thoroughly than any one-off interview or stand-alone experiment would
• validity

  case studies take a long time to carry out, the participant will get quite used to the researchers and act naturally around them. this reduces the problem of demand characteristics and social desirability bias
• validity

  • researchers get used to the participant and learn to understand and interpret this persons behaviour. this reduces the problem of ethnocentrism and cultural bias
• validity problems

  • in a case study, researcher and participant tend to develop a bond and a relationship forms between them
  • in particular the researcher can get to know the participant intimately. this can lead to loss of obectivity
• ethics: the intimacy that case studies create between researcher and research participant can lead to ethical problems
• ethics:

  • the ethical principle of integrity demands that researchers conduct themselves professionally - this involves keeping a professional distance between youself and your research participant
  • not supposed to befriend the ppts or get romantically involved, but also not promising favours or help you cant deliver
  • problem with studying participants who are in custody, suffer drug addiction or have deviant fantacies
• strengths of case studies

  • provides rich, in-depth data
  • suggests directions for further research
  • allows investigations that might be difficult or unethical to do in other ways
• weakness of case studies

  • problems generalising results to wider population
  • loss of detachment and objectivity
  • difficult to replicate and time-consuming
• tcase study: he maori rongoa - hollistic approach
• the maori rongoa healing tradition

  cultural competence: practitioners of rongoa healing are highly skilled individuals within the maori community who have undergone rigorous training. they possess deep knowledge of indigenous plants and their medicinal properties, as well as spiritual practices
• the maori rongoa

  community involvement: rongoa healing often takes place within the community, involving family and community members in the healing process. this communal approach fosters a sense of belonging and support
• the maori rongoa healing

  spiritual connection: rongoa healing acknowledges the spiritual aspects of health and healing. rituals, ceremonies and the use of traditional chants are integral components of the practice
• individualistic variations: case studies from different backgrounds highlight the importance of considering individual variations in psychological processes and behaviours. psychological theories and findings may not apply universally, and individualistic approaches plays a significant role
• cultural bias: cultural bias in psychology, emphasise how research and theories developed in western contexts may not fully capture the individuals from non-western cultures. we need more experiences of culturally sensitive research
• ethical considerations: ethical considerations in conducting research in non-western settings, and the importance of cultural sensitivity, respect for local customs and informed consent
• cross-cultural studies: we need more case studies that specifically compare psychological phenomena between western and non-western cultures. for instance, studies on collectivism vs individualism, parenting styles, or the perception of mental illness can provide valuable insights into cultural differences
• practical implications: we need to explore the practical implications of cross-cultural research in areas like clinical psychology, counseling and education. we need to learn how understanding cultural differences can improve the effectiveness of interventions and treatments
• cultural competence: the ability to work effectively with clients from diverse cultural backrounds