Case studies

Question 1

What is a case study ?

Answer 1

An in-depth study of one person or a small group, often over a long period, using multiple methods (e.g., interviews, observations, questionnaires) to gather qualitative (and sometimes quantitative) data.

Question 2

What types of data can case studies produce?

Answer 2

Both qualitative (e.g., interviews, observations) and quantitative (e.g., psychological testing, experiments).

Question 3

Who can researchers gather data from in a case study?

Answer 3

The individual being studied, as well as family and friends.

Question 4

Why do case studies provide valuable insights?

Answer 4

They offer rich, detailed information about unusual behaviour that is hard to study experimentally (e.g., brain damage, memory loss).

Question 5

How do case studies contribute to science?

Answer 5

They can generate new hypotheses and lead to revisions of theories, supporting the scientific process of inquiry.

Question 6

Why do case studies have low population validity?

Answer 6

Findings are based on one person or a small group, making it hard to generalise to the wider population.

Question 7

What does low population validity affect in case studies?

Answer 7

External validity (it is difficult to generalise beyond the individual or group studied).

Question 8

Why might case study data lack accuracy ?

Answer 8

They often rely on retrospective accounts (e.g., memories of the participant or family), which may be inaccurate due to memory decay or bias.

Question 9

Q: What type of validity is lowered by retrospective data in case studies?
A: Internal validity.