Case study in psychology
Encyclopedia
Case study in psychology refers to the use of a descriptive research
approach to obtain an in-depth analysis of a person, group, or phenomenon. A variety of techniques may be employed including personal interviews, direct-observation
, psychometric tests, and archival records. In psychology case studies are most often used in clinical research
to describe rare events and conditions, which contradict well established principles in the field of psychology
. Case studies are generally a single-case design, but can also be a multiple-case design, where replication
instead of sampling is the criterion for inclusion. Like other research methodologies within psychology, the case study must produce valid
and reliable
results in order to be useful for the development of future research. Distinct advantages and disadvantages are associated with the case study in psychology. The case study is sometimes mistaken for the case method
, but the two are not the same.
for later testing. Second, the case study can provide detailed descriptions of specific and rare cases.
relationships or test hypotheses. Further, with the case study it is impossible to generalize the findings to a wider population of people. However, these disadvantages have been disputed.
Descriptive research
Descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when, "why" and how......
approach to obtain an in-depth analysis of a person, group, or phenomenon. A variety of techniques may be employed including personal interviews, direct-observation
Observation
Observation is either an activity of a living being, such as a human, consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during this activity...
, psychometric tests, and archival records. In psychology case studies are most often used in clinical research
Clinical research
Clinical research is a branch of medical science that determines the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use...
to describe rare events and conditions, which contradict well established principles in the field of psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. Case studies are generally a single-case design, but can also be a multiple-case design, where replication
Reproducibility
Reproducibility is the ability of an experiment or study to be accurately reproduced, or replicated, by someone else working independently...
instead of sampling is the criterion for inclusion. Like other research methodologies within psychology, the case study must produce valid
Valid
Valid is a Brazilian engraving company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro that provides security printing services to financial institutions, telecommunication companies, state governments, and public agencies in Brazil, Argentina, and Spain....
and reliable
Reliability (statistics)
In statistics, reliability is the consistency of a set of measurements or of a measuring instrument, often used to describe a test. Reliability is inversely related to random error.-Types:There are several general classes of reliability estimates:...
results in order to be useful for the development of future research. Distinct advantages and disadvantages are associated with the case study in psychology. The case study is sometimes mistaken for the case method
Case method
The case method is a teaching approach that consists in presenting the students with a case, putting them in the role of a decision maker facing a problem...
, but the two are not the same.
Advantages
One major advantage of the case study in psychology is the potential for the development of novel hypothesesHypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
for later testing. Second, the case study can provide detailed descriptions of specific and rare cases.
Disadvantages
Major disadvantages of the case study in psychology have been argued to be its inability to draw cause and effectCausality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
relationships or test hypotheses. Further, with the case study it is impossible to generalize the findings to a wider population of people. However, these disadvantages have been disputed.
Famous case studies in psychology
- Harlow - Phineas GagePhineas GagePhineas P. Gage was an American railroad construction foreman now remembered for his improbablesurvival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for that injury's reported effects on his personality and...
- Breuer & Freud (1895) - Anna O.Anna O.Anna O. was the pseudonym of a patient of Josef Breuer, who published her case study in his book Studies on Hysteria, written in collaboration with Sigmund Freud. Her real name was Bertha Pappenheim , an Austrian-Jewish feminist and the founder of the Jüdischer Frauenbund .Anna O...
- Cleckley's (1941) case studies of psychopathy (The mask of sanity)
- Freud and Little Hans
- Freud and the Rat ManRat Man"Rat Man" was the nickname given by Sigmund Freud to a patient whose 'case history' was published as Bemerkungen über einen Fall von Zwangsneurose ['Notes Upon A Case Of Obsessional Neurosis']...
- John MoneyJohn MoneyJohn William Money was a psychologist, sexologist and author, specializing in research into sexual identity and biology of gender...
and the John/Joan case - Genie (feral child)Genie (feral child)Genie is the pseudonym for a feral child who spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of her life locked inside a bedroom strapped to a potty chair. She was a victim of one of the most severe cases of social isolation ever documented...
- Piaget's studiesJean PiagetJean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
- Rosenthal's book on the murder of Kitty GenoveseKitty GenoveseCatherine Susan "Kitty" Genovese , was a New York City woman who was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York on March 13, 1964....
- Washoe (sign language)Washoe (chimpanzee)Washoe was a chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language, as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition....