Case Studies (AQA GCSE Psychology)
Revision Note
Written by: Claire Neeson
Reviewed by: Lucy Vinson
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’.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
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.
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