Lesson 5: Case Studies 1

Case Studies Case studies are in-depth, detailed investigations of an individual or small group of people. They can include biographical detail, behavioural information and any experiences of interest. 2

Case studies allow researchers to examine a particular individual in great depth. Explanations of behaviour are outlined in descriptive ways and subjective reports are often used. 3

Case studies may be used because the psychologist has only found one or two individuals who display rare or fascinating behaviour. 4

Advantages Case studies provide rich and detailed data about a specific person or group. This gives psychologists far more data than is usually obtained. 5

Case studies allow psychologists to study behaviour that it would not be ethical to study in any other way. 6

Case studies can suggest a hypothesis for further research. They can disprove theories, for example the case of HM showed the MSM was overly simplistic. 7

Disadvantages Case studies are incredibly difficult to replicate, exactly the same unusual circumstances are very unlikely to occur more than once. This means case studies are not reliable. 8

It is problematic to generalise the results from case studies to the entire population. The people in the study may not be representative of others of the same age and gender. Even if they are representative other people may behave very differently. 9

There is a danger of researcher bias. Researchers may only report a small fraction of the information obtained. 10