case study definition psychology

case study definition psychology

Understanding Case Study in Psychology

1. Introduction to Case Study in Psychology

After the fact, “what ideally did I pick up from this examination?” was viewed as the most critical inquiry in the psychomotor area. It was felt essential to endeavour to comprehend what and how individuals learn as a consequence of a situation they have encountered (p. 4). It was felt that this sort of research would be legitimate for an inductive hypothesis, around then there was no present illustration of what the inductive procedure constituted, just a bundle of strategies that were described as being deducted, and book-based speculations. It is felt that the method for the most part is a malevolent expression, and something that is resolved, and created based upon blunders of the past (p. 4). Learning exertion, it was felt, was a specimen of aim, and simply learning was to a great extent unobservable. It was concurred that research may be handy to see how tries at learning were influenced by exploratory peculiarities and changes in the example of learning itself so making the difference in ultimatums, incorporating a choice to sicken a current occupation and take in another ability. With the general agreement to the marginal status of a large number of mental wonders’ education is further adapted and longitudinal follow-up a fundamental need this influenced a judgment to pick a multiple inherent/contextual case study configuration as the most fitting methodology, as it is a plan to examine a specimen top to bottom and within its regular and deliberately happening settings (p. 5). This sort of study is portrayed by its accentuation on an inside and out examination of a certain occasion, or thing determinable and that’s just the beginning of serial developments point by point and datable. Masterminding a sort that obliges a man to keep a journal over a time of five months it would be conceivable to get both exactness and an abundance or real information. Longitudinal follow-up can without much of a stretch embrace proceeded with contextual analysis, likened to a clinical document of a dynamic patient with returns visits over some stretch of time (p. 6). With the immense sort of assorted qualities inside mental learning routines now and an absence of examination and acquiring of certain genuine systems that are trying to contemplate, a system was composed alluded to as concurrent legitimization in which a scientist quickly abatements the irregularity of his centre’s task and asks exactly what he is attempting to realize and by what means would it be a good idea for him to continue about it. This would get forth coming assumptions and changes in item and might be egotistically inspected. Various pathways can then be followed by contemplating shifted real actions to relative undertakings back and this would be leverage for creating examinations within the same theme, the analyst would need to use a contextual analysis occasion and its said changes would be an interesting variable to track in sequential exchange and future surveys. This choice in correlated contextual analysis can in any case be broadly utilized within the field.

2. Importance of Case Studies in Psychological Research

An analysis of a person, a group of people, a unique situation, or an event. Case studies are used in most fields including medicine, psychology, business, law, and education to verify theories and provide information that could be valuable for future research or provide a description for beginners attempting to delve into a particular topic. Case studies are important because they help make something being discussed more realistic for both teachers and learners, providing an easier explanation for a topic that would be hard to do in most forms of research. It is especially useful for beginners to the field who have very little practical knowledge on the topic, i.e. cognitive behavior therapy, or a rare condition in medicine. Reading a case study would help provide a better explanation to that student who may be finding it challenging to understand a particular theory or treatment. Cognitive behavior therapy can be difficult if it is being explained through a theoretical example compared to a real example of how the therapy would be conducted.

3. Methodology for Conducting Case Studies

The prime method of inquiry in any scientific discipline has to be based on the collection of data that is both reliable and valid. While it is possible to employ a retrospective method of collecting data using secondary sources, often the best source of data is collected using methods that are more connected to the empirical paradigm. This is why the most crucial step in selecting a prospective case is identifying the appropriate case. If the researcher is able to identify a relevant case, it might be a good idea to increase the sample size in the study, thereby providing a more comprehensive account of the events in question. With this in mind, it would be best to select multiple cases that vary in their level of deviation from the norm. This will provide a contrast that either enhances the researcher’s constructs or it will allow the researcher to disconfirm or add nuance to their explanations that are based on events in the more typical case. This is another situation where a single case study can be expanded into a comparative case analysis.

4. Analysis and Interpretation of Case Study Findings

In specifying a plan of action, candidates will often move into the realms of trying to find solutions in which they use the content of their study in a patient-centered discussion with a specialist (evidence-based practice) to locate potential treatments with the collaboration of the patient. Other case scenarios may involve identifying the etiology of a condition, thus shifting the focus back to the construction of a case theory and away from knowledge. A plan of action should make full use of the findings from the study; therefore, strong inter-referencing between the findings and the plan is desirable.

You will also need to go back to your original research question(s) and/or use the findings to produce a SWOT analysis in order to identify in which areas your research has succeeded and whether it has been worth the time and resources. At this stage, it is necessary to refer back to your initial PICO and recognize that the patient and generalizability to other cases are essentially of greater importance in the more severe or long-term conditions.

It is during this stage that you will highlight the meaning of the case study, which will be critical in setting the stage for further discussions in the report. The aim is to transfer from information to insight. It may be that while you are interpreting the findings, you take on a few provisional hypotheses to outline potential causal relationships. These hypotheses should be justified with some reference to the findings from your study.

5. Benefits and Limitations of Case Study Research

Limitations The first and most prominent disadvantage of case studies lies in the difficulty of internal and external validity. Unlike statistical controls, case study methods do not attempt to control the environment in which the study is taking place. This means that it is difficult to decipher whether changes in the dependent variable(s) can be reliably and confidently attributed to the independent variable(s) or whether they are the result of some other confounding variables. Internal validity is also often threatened in single-case studies by the occurrence of history, maturation, testing, instrument decay and statistical regression (Cook & Campbell, 1979). The second most important limitation of case study lies in its failure to produce a generalized conclusion that can be applied to similar studies at a later date. This can be difficult due to the restricted number of populations available to investigate and apply the designated interventions and the inability to test whether the same results can be achieved using the same methods with different people or in other similar settings (Tellis, 1997). This limitation often has the effect of leading some to denounce case study as a method that produces theoretical generalization (Licht, 1995). Auchterlonie and Radjou (2009) stress the public assumption that case study research is inferior to hypothesis testing, employing a strategy of investigation that cannot result in strong evidence for or against causal claims. Case study researchers are often criticized that their research does not contribute to building a better knowledge of the functions of the social world.

Benefits The first and most important advantage of single-case research is the opportunity it provides to begin to understand a particular phenomenon detailed within its natural context. The richness of the description provides numerous occasions to more fully comprehend the character of the phenomenon through close examination of its manifestations within the case (Licht, 1995). Single-case studies also provide many opportunities to challenge current theoretical assumptions or even lead to the generation of new theory. This is mainly due to the ability case study research has to examine the complexity of phenomena in its natural context by exploring, in depth, the interaction of a range of causal factors (Tellis, 1997). Case study research also permits a great deal of empirical investigation; the nature of which is particularly useful when attempting to test causal links between certain events or actions and the outcome or result of these. This method is often more feasible to test in a single-case study due to the control the investigator has over the occurrence of events in the case. An additional benefit of single-case studies is the practical information that can be gathered and used to build solutions and tactics in the absence of theory (Licht, 1995).