Case studies and action research

• Case studies


  An in-depth study of 1 person or a small group of participants, can be looking at past records e.g. medical history, family history, often participants are studied because sample is unique in some way
• Characteristics of case studies

  • In-depth Exploration: thorough + comprehensive examination of chosen subject. aim to gain a deep understanding of context, behaviors, experiences, + factors associated with case
  • Holistic Approach: considering multiple dimensions of case, including psychological, social, cultural, + environmental factors. allows for a comprehensive understanding of subject under investigation
  • Naturalistic Setting: conducted in naturalistic settings, where subject's behavior occurs naturally. helps ensure that observations + data collected are representative of real-life situations
  • Qualitative Data: rely on qualitative data, including detailed descriptions, narratives, + context-specific information. use various data collection methods such as interviews, observations, + document analysis to gather rich, nuanced information
  • Longitudinal Perspective: Some take a longitudinal perspective, studying subject over an extended period. allows researchers to observe changes, developments, or impact of interventions over time
  • Small Sample Size: involve a small number of participants or cases. allows for an in-depth analysis of each case but may limit generalizability of findings to a broader population
  • Interdisciplinary Approach: benefit from an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on insights + methods from various fields such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, + medicine. Helps provide a more comprehensive understanding of case
  • Detailed Description: aim to provide detailed + thorough descriptions of case, including background, relevant events, behaviors, + outcomes. attention to detail helps in presenting a nuanced + accurate portrayal of subject
  • Exploratory or Descriptive: used in exploratory or descriptive research, goal is to understand + describe a phenomenon rather than testing a specific hypothesis
  • Unique or Unusual Cases: useful when investigating unique, rare, or unusual cases where there may be limited existing knowledge or understanding
  • Ethical Considerations: must adhere to ethical guidelines, ensuring the well-being, confidentiality, + informed consent of participants. crucial, especially when studying sensitive topics or individuals
• Strengths of case studies

  • high ecological validity as often in a natural setting
  • Provides in-depth understanding
  • Rich qualitative data
  • Holistic perspective
  • Real life context
  • Exploratory research
  • Longitudinal insight
  • Uncovering unique cases
  • Clinical + therapeutic insights
  • Flexibility
  • Theory development
• Weaknesses of case studies

  • time consuming sometimes collecting data over many years
  • hard to generalise findings, small amount of participants which means they do not represent wider population
  • Subjective + bias
  • Difficulty in replication
  • Lack of control (variables)
  • Ethical concerns, maintaining participant confidentiality + obtaining informed consent can be challenging
  • Potential for overemphasis on rare cases
  • Difficulty establishing causation
• Famous case studies in Psychology

  • Phineas Gage
  • H.M
  • Victor Leborgne (nickname "Tan")
  • Wild boy of Aveyron
  • Kim Peek
  • Anna O.
  • Kitty Genovese
  • Little Albert
  • Chris Sizemore
  • David Reimer
• Action research


  Involves systematic inquiry conducted by practitioners or stakeholders, goal of addressing specific issues or problems within a real-world context, participatory + collaborative process that aims to bring about positive change or improvement in a specific situation
• "Action research is like a practical way of doing research where people who are actually dealing with a problem (like teachers, doctors, or workers) investigate and try to fix it. They work together, sharing ideas and trying different things to make a positive change in a real-life situation. It's not just about studying problems; it's about making things better by working together and learning as you go. This happens in different areas, not just in psychology but also in education, healthcare, and businesses."
• Phineas Gage had a terrible accident in 1848 in Central Vermont where his tamping iron shot into his face, through his brain, and out the top of his head
• Gage survived the accident, although his friends and family reportedly felt he was changed so profoundly (becoming listless and aggressive) that "he was no longer Gage"
• Recent years have seen a drastic reevaluation of Gage's story in light of new evidence, suggesting he underwent significant rehabilitation and in fact began work as a horse carriage driver in Chile
• A simulation of Gage's injuries suggested much of his right frontal cortex was likely spared, and photographic evidence has been unearthed showing a post-accident dapper Gage
• Few psychology textbooks have kept up to date with the new evidence on Gage's case
• Henry Gustav Molaison (H.M.) developed severe amnesia at age 27 after undergoing brain surgery as a form of treatment for epilepsy
• Molaison's surgery involved the removal of large parts of the hippocampus on both sides of his brain, resulting in an inability to store any new information in long-term memory
• Molaison's brain was carefully sliced and preserved and turned into a 3D digital atlas, and his life story is reportedly due to be turned into a feature film
• Victor Leborgne, nicknamed "Tan", was a 19th century patient who helped change the consensus view that language function was distributed through the brain
• Leborgne could only utter the sound "Tan" and the expletive "sacre nom de Dieu", and Broca examined his brain and noticed a lesion in his left frontal lobe, now known as Broca's area
• The "Wild Boy of Aveyron", named Victor, was found emerging from Aveyron forest in South West France in 1800, aged 11 or 12, where he had been living in the wild for several years
• Victor was transported to Paris and a physician named Itard began a mission to teach and socialise the "feral child", with mixed success
• Kim Peek, nicknamed 'Kim-puter', was the inspiration for Dustin Hoffman's autistic savant character in the film Rain Man, and had astonishing savant skills including calendar calculation and an encyclopaedic knowledge
• Bertha Pappenheim, known as "Anna O.", was a pioneering German Jewish feminist and social worker who was one of the first ever patients to undergo psychoanalysis, inspiring much of Freud's thinking on mental illness
• Peek


  Estimated to have read more than 12,000 books in his lifetime, all committed to flawless memory. Outgoing and sociable, but had coordination problems and struggled with abstract or conceptual thinking.
• Anna O.


  Pseudonym for Bertha Pappenheim, a pioneering German Jewish feminist and social worker. One of the first patients to undergo psychoanalysis, inspiring much of Freud's thinking on mental illness.
• Anna O.'s treatment by Joseph Breuer


  Breuer visited her almost daily and talked to her about her thoughts and feelings, including her grief for her father, and the more she talked, the more her symptoms seemed to fade - one of the first ever instances of psychoanalysis or "the talking cure"
• Freud never met Pappenheim, but wrote about her case, including the notion that she had a hysterical pregnancy, although this is disputed
• Kitty Genovese


  Her tragic murder in 1964 in New York inspired research into the Bystander Phenomenon - the finding that our sense of individual responsibility is diluted by the presence of other people
• The story of the Kitty Genovese murder was more complicated than initially reported - at least two people did try to summon help, and there was only one witness to the second and fatal attack
• Little Albert


  An 11-month-old baby in whom the pioneering behaviourist psychologist John Watson and his colleague Rosalind Rayner deliberately attempted to instill certain fears through a process of conditioning, in research of dubious scientific quality and unethical nature
• There has been an academic quarrel over the true identity of Little Albert, with some scholars believing he was Douglas Merritte, the son of a wet nurse at John Hopkins University, who was neurologically impaired and died aged six of hydrocephalus, while others believe he was more likely William A Barger, the son of a different wet nurse, who died in 2007 aged 87
• Chris Sizemore


  One of the most famous patients to be given the controversial diagnosis of multiple personality disorder (now known as dissociative identity disorder), with alter egos including Eve White, Eve Black, and Jane. Her story was turned into the movie "The Three Faces of Eve".
• David Reimer


  Lost his penis in a botched circumcision operation as a baby, and was subsequently advised by psychologist John Money to be raised as a girl, "Brenda", and undergo further surgery and hormone treatment. The reassignment was seriously problematic, and Reimer later campaigned against other children with genital injuries being gender reassigned in the way that he had been. Tragically, Reimer took his own life in 2004, aged 38.