Question 1: Define a case study in psychology and explain one advantage it has over other research methods.

Answer: A case study is an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event. An advantage is that it provides detailed insights into complex behaviours or conditions that might not be captured by other methods.

Question 2: Describe a scenario where a psychologist might choose to use a case study approach instead of an experiment.

Answer: A psychologist might use a case study when studying rare psychological disorders where it’s not possible to conduct large-scale experiments, such as researching the mind of a person with a unique neurological condition.

Question 3: List two strengths and two limitations of using case studies in psychological research.

Answer: Strengths: 1) Provides detailed, in-depth data about individual cases. 2) Can generate new hypotheses for further research. Limitations: 1) Findings may not be generalisable to the wider population. 2) Results can be influenced by researcher bias.

Question 4: Imagine a psychologist is studying a person who has recovered from a traumatic event and wants to understand their coping mechanisms. What are some ethical considerations they should keep in mind?

Answer: The psychologist must ensure informed consent, maintain confidentiality, avoid causing psychological harm during interviews, and allow the participant to withdraw at any time.

Question 5: Explain how researcher bias can affect the outcomes of a case study.

Answer: Researcher bias can influence how data is collected, interpreted, or presented, potentially leading to subjective conclusions that reflect the researcher’s expectations rather than the true data.

Question 6: Describe a situation where a case study might produce misleading or biased results.

Answer: If a psychologist only focuses on a participant’s positive coping strategies without considering negative aspects, the findings may be biased and not fully representative of the individual’s experience.

Question 7: Draw a simple diagram to represent the process of conducting a case study, including steps such as participant selection, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Answer: A flowchart with four boxes connected sequentially: 1) Participant Selection, 2) Data Collection (interviews, observations, records), 3) Data Analysis, 4) Reporting Results.

Question 8: In your own words, explain why case studies are particularly useful for exploring rare psychological conditions.

Answer: Because rare conditions are uncommon, case studies allow researchers to gather detailed information about individual cases that would be difficult to study using large samples or experiments.

Question 9: Suppose a psychologist conducts a case study on a person with an unusual talent. What limitations might this research have in terms of generalising findings to others?

Answer: Findings from a single individual with a unique talent may not apply to others, making it difficult to generalise the results to the wider population or to people with different characteristics.