Y2 Research methods

Question 1

What are cast studies?

Answer 1

An in-depth investigation, description and analysis of a single individual, group, institution or event

Question 2

What do case studies involve?

Answer 2

analysis of unusual individuals, or events
e.g. a person with a rare disorder

Question 3

What is content analysis?

Answer 3

Type of observational research where people are studied indirectly via communications they have produced
E.g. texts, emails, TV, films & other media

Question 4

Explain Coding and quantitative data

Answer 4

Coding

Categorises large data sets into meaningful units to then be analysed

• counting up the number of times a particular word of phrase appears in the text - produces a form of quantitative data

Question 5

Explain Thematic analysis and qualitative data

Answer 5

A form of content analysis but the outcome is qualitative

Involves the identification of themes

• this refers to any idea, explicit or implicit, that is recurrent
• likely to be more descriptive than coding units
  e.g. people with mental health issues may be misrepresented in the newspapers as ‘a drain on the resources of the NHS’
• such themes can then be developed into broader categories such as ‘stereotyping’ ‘treatment’ of people with mental health issues

once the researcher is happy with themes developed & that they cover most aspects of the data they are analysing, they may collect a new set of data to tests the validity of the themes and categories

Question 6

Strengths of case studies?

Answer 6

• Offer rich, detailed insights into very unusual forms of behaviour
• may generate hypotheses for future study
• may contribute to our understanding of ‘typical’ functioning
  e.g. case of HM demonstrated typical memory processing - separate STM & LTM

Question 7

Limitations of case studies?

Answer 7

• hard to generalise findings do to such a small sample
• information is based on subjective selection and interpretations from researcher
• personal accounts from participants friends or family may be prone to inaccuracy and memory decay - may lack validity

Question 8

Strengths of content analysis

Answer 8

• can circumnavigate ‘get around’ many of the ethical issues normally associated with psychological research
  e.g. films, TV adverts, newspaper ads may already exist within the public domain - no issues with obtaining info
• high in external validity
• may be able to access data of a sensitive nature (if given authors consent)
• Flexible: can produce both quantitative and qualitative data

Question 9

Limitations of content analysis