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

with an individual or
small group of people.

There are various reasons why a case study

might be favored by
psychological researchers.

The subject matter of the case study

might be highly unusual,

so therefore it might be difficult

to find a certain number of participants.

The person might be considered
to be highly illustrative

of people with a particular condition

or in a particular circumstance,

even though the conditional circumstance

may not be statistically rare.

Another possibility is having a case study

of the number of normal people

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

The researchers might
choose a small-scale study

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

and to show some of the complexity

in the participants' lives.

The case study might be an early stage

of a larger program of research

to help the researchers plan

a well-designed experimental project.

A strength of case study research

is that there are some circumstances

where it is impossible

to have a large number of participants,

which makes this method ideal.

Moreover, case studies usually generate

a larger amount of detail

and rich qualitative data,

which can give a full picture

of the situation under scrutiny.

A weakness of case study research

is that they rarely produce
enough qualitative data

for statistical testing,

meaning some people regard case studies

as more anecdotal than scientific.

Another weakness is that
because case studies

sometimes involve quite
an intense relationship

between the researcher
and the participant,

they may lack objectivity.

The researcher may become too involved

and may alter the natural course

of the participant's life and experiences.