- [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.