1. CASE STUDY

2. Case study - a method of studying a problem in some depth within a limited time scale.
Usually focuses on one individual, one family, one group, one institution
Allows you to examine the ‘inner workings of a situation.
Allow the investigator to find out ‘how’ and ‘why’ rather than just ‘who, what and when’

3. CASE STUDY
Provides a 3 dimensional picture - illustrates relationships and patterns of influence in a single context.

4. Descriptive Research Methods
Case study
Is it a research method?

5. The case study itself is not a research method
The case study itself is not a research method. It uses a wide range of research methods to collect data about a particular case. A case can be
A case study is an in-depth, intensive and sharply focused exploration of the above.

6. Case Studies
an intensive description and analysis of an individual or related group
Research method originated in clinical medicine and takes an idiographic approach
In-depth investigation of experiences to identify interactions and influences on psychological processes
May consist of a case history (background) interviews, observation and questionnaires and may take place over a long period of time

7. Case study
An in-depth study of one or a few individuals consisting of information gathered through other methods including
observation,
Interview
Surveys
Questinnaires
and perhaps psychological testing

8. Case studies have the following characteristics:
Idiographic Approach.
Researchers are concerned with the particular rather than the general. This can be contrasted with the nomothetic approach, which aims to identify general laws and principles by averaging out individual variation.
Holistic Approach.
Considers the case within its particular context. Cases cannot be considered in isolation.

9. Types of CASE STUDIES
Longitudinal
Cross-sectional

10. Types of case studies

11. Case Studies can be used in 3 ways:
as a free-standing method of research
before a survey – to identify key issues
after a survey - to follow up and put flesh on the bones

12. Famous Case Studies Phineas Gage Baby Albert Piaget’s children
Three Faces of Eve
Sperry’s Split Brain patients
Kitty Genovese
Little Hans
HM Clive Wearing

13. Intrinsic versus instrumental case studies

14. Intrinsic case studies
Intrinsic case studies represent nothing but themselves. The cases in intrinsic case studies are chosen because they are interesting in their own right. The researchers want to know about them in particular, rather than about a more general problem or phenomenon.

15. Instrumental case studies
Constitute exemplars of a more general phenomenon. They are selected to provide the researcher with an opportunity to study the phenomenon of interest. The research question identifies a phenomenon (e.g. stress, bereavement, fame etc) and the cases are selected in order to explore’ how the phenomenon exists within a particular case’. In this design, individuals who are experiencing the phenomenon under investigation are all suitable cases for analysis.

16. Descriptive versus explanatory case studies

17. Descriptive case studies
Descriptive case studies are concerned with providing a detailed description of a phenomenon but it is not explored in terms of existing theoretical formulations, but it is assumed that the description will generate new insights.

18. Explanatory case studies
Explanatory case studies aim to generate explanations for the occurrences with which they are concerneds, i.e. descriptions of what is going on are accompanied by attempts to use explanatory concepts within the accound, so this kind of case study goes beyound the mere narrative or description.

19. Advantages of CASE STUDIES
Highly detailed and in-depth.
High ecological validity of the data gathered. It actually measures behaviour that is representative of behaviour occurring in a natural environment. Often experiments lack ecological validity due to their artificial setting.
Often the only method suitable for studying forms of rare behaviour.
allows the researcher to concentrate on a specific instance or situation
allows the researcher to identify the various interactive processes at work.
Yields large amount of data

20. More advantages Methodological triangulation
Theory generation or support for existing theories

21. Case Studies as basis for Theory Development
Detailed analysis can generate new insights into social ad psychological processes and this in turn can give rise to new theories and hypotheses.
A good example of this would be Freud. Some claime that all theories are initially based on one particular case or object. Case studies are also very important in testing existing theories by looking at deviant or extreme cases.

22. Involves Triangulation
A range of data collection methods are used to gain an in-depth knowledge of the research area. Triangulation enriches case study and helps researchers appreciate many dimensions of the case. Data collection methods are varied and can involve the following:
Diaries, interviewing, observation, self- reports, official notes and documents
(clinical notes). Any method that is deemed appropriate by the researcher.

23. Disadvantages of CASE STUDIES
No cause-effect can be legitimately inferred.
Difficult to generalise to the whole population as it is usually a very small or unrepresentative a sample.
Reliability can be questioned due to; Recall of past events which may be open to memory distortion,
lack of observer objectivity.
Difficult or impossible to replicate.
Time consuming and expensive.
Possible observer bias
Possible demand characteristics
Potential privacy issues