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- [Presenter] A case study is
a detailed piece of research

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with an individual or
small group of people.

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There are various reasons why a case study

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might be favored by
psychological researchers.

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The subject matter of the case study

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might be highly unusual,

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so therefore it might be difficult

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to find a certain number of participants.

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The person might be considered
to be highly illustrative

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of people with a particular condition

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or in a particular circumstance,

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even though the conditional circumstance

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may not be statistically rare.

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Another possibility is having a case study

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of the number of normal people

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and how they make decisions
at key points in their lives.

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The researchers might
choose a small-scale study

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in terms of number of people
in order to capture rich detail

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and to show some of the complexity

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in the participants' lives.

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The case study might be an early stage

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of a larger program of research

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to help the researchers plan

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a well-designed experimental project.

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A strength of case study research

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is that there are some circumstances

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where it is impossible

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to have a large number of participants,

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which makes this method ideal.

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Moreover, case studies usually generate

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a larger amount of detail

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and rich qualitative data,

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which can give a full picture

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of the situation under scrutiny.

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A weakness of case study research

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is that they rarely produce
enough qualitative data

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for statistical testing,

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meaning some people regard case studies

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as more anecdotal than scientific.

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Another weakness is that
because case studies

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sometimes involve quite
an intense relationship

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between the researcher
and the participant,

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they may lack objectivity.

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The researcher may become too involved

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and may alter the natural course

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of the participant's life and experiences.