What is a case study?
- A case study is not a method in itself as such, rather it is a collection of methods which, combined, give an in-depth, detailed and highly idiosyncratic account of a single participant (or in some cases a small group of participants)
- As case studies tend to study only one participant (or a small group) they are subjective
- Case studies tend to amass mainly qualitative data, e.g:
- Interviews with the participant and, possibly, people connected to them e.g. family, friends, colleagues
- Naturalistic observations of the participant either alone or interacting with others
- Diary/journal entries written by the participant
- Case studies may also collect quantitative and/or scientific data, for example:
- Psychometric tests e.g. IQ, personality and mental health measures
- Scores achieved on, e.g memory tests
- Clinical data such as MRI scan images, blood tests
- Most case studies tend to be longitudinal i.e. a participant's experience/progress is tracked and measured over time, for example:
- The case of HM is a case study of an individual with brain damage which resulted in catastrophic anterograde amnesia who was studied for five decades
- A case study of multiple personality disorder, the ‘Eve White/Eve Black’ study lasted several years
The ‘Eve White/Black’ case study was turned into a film, ‘The Three Faces of Eve’.
Exam Tip
A case study can help researchers to understand the experience and behaviours of ‘normal’ people: HM’s hippocampus had been removed during surgery and it was after this that his extreme amnesia began. Thus, researchers were able to pinpoint a biological basis to memory in non-damaged brains (if a damaged or absent hippocampus resulted in horrendous memory loss then the hippocampus must be vital for the processing of memory in a non-damaged brain).
Evaluation of case studies
Strengths
- Case studies use participants who have a highly unique experience/condition/ability which means that they can share experiences on the more unusual aspects of what it means to be human in ethical ways
- Case studies amass a wealth of information which is rich, insightful and in-depth, giving them high validity
Weaknesses
- Generalising from case studies is virtually impossible as they tend to feature only one participant whose experience/condition is not shared with anyone else
- The researcher conducting the case study may become overly close to the participant across the months/years which could introduce bias to the proceedings i.e. they lose their objectivity
Worked example
Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO1.
AO1: You need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts, ideas, theories and research.
Question: Which two of the following are commonly understood to be advantages of case studies?
Select two answers. [2]
- The conclusions drawn are objective.
- The findings can be easily generalised to the behaviour of other people.
- They are easy for others to replicate.
- They can be used to study rare and unusual behaviours.
- They provide rich and detailed information.
Model answer:
- The correct answers are:
- d) They can be used to study rare and unusual behaviours.
- e) They provide rich and detailed information.
