2. Case Studies

Question 1

What are the 5 key features of case studies

Answer 1

• In-depth investigation of one person or a small group
• typically investigates naturally occurring events
• can be longitudinal or retrospective
• gathers a range of information to form a case history
• use number of methods to gather information (triangulation of methods)

Question 2

Briefly explain the case of Clive Wearing

Answer 2

• suffered rare brain infection
• virus completely destroyed his LTM
• lives in a ‘snapshot of time’

Question 3

What is the main ethical issue with case studies? How is it resolved?

Answer 3

• Confidentiality

- Initials or pseudo names are used

Question 4

What are the two positive evaluations for case studies?

Answer 4

• Method is rich and detailed, making it highly valid

- Method has an abundance of ecological validity

Question 5

What are the three negative evaluations for case studies?

Answer 5

• The method can be particularly subjective
• The method suffers from poor generalisability
• The method has low reliability