Case Study

by Janet Waters

Research Design:

In general, case studies are in-depth studies of one or a few individuals, & can be very valuable when investigating a phenomenon that is relatively rare, or when we want to do an in-depth history on a person. Of course, any case study you would carry out for your lab assignment can't be as extensive or in-depth as a formal research study.

Data collection:

Gather information about your participant from as many sources as are available to you. You could interview your participant, and/or his or her family or friends. Include your own observations, the participant's self-report of their experience. You may even be able to include the results of psychological testing on the participant if available. For example, in a case study of someone who has had a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), you could interview the participant &/or their family, & add your own observations, & the results of any cognitive testing that the participant knows about. There are also some online tests of psychological disorders & personality traits that might be of interest in your case study. Do note these on-line mini-tests have dubious validity, however.

Data Analysis:

Summarize the results of your interviews & observations into a description of the participant. For the Results section of your lab report, this would be about a 2-4 page summary. The focus of your summary depends on the topic question (eg in a case study of MTBI, you would focus on the effects of the head injury). However, you should generally include subsections presenting:

1) Participant's History & family of origin. Begin with gender & current age, & include significant childhood experiences, especially regarding the topic of interest, & significant adult experiences & events.

2) Current functioning: include occupation, education, marital & family status.

Depending on your topic question, the following subsections should also be included:

3) Relevant medical or psychological diagnosis (if applicable): include here psychological, emotional, cognitive & behavioural symptoms or indicators regarding your topic of interest (eg. MTBI, or psychological disorder).

4) Treatment: (if applicable). This would include medical & psychological treatment, & any other relevant therapies. Note whether these have been successful.

As well as obtaining your participant's consent to do this case study, do make sure that you protect the participant's confidentiality in presenting the case. It is not enough to substitute their name with a pseudonym. Also avoid overly specific details & descriptors of occupation, etc. that might compromise your participant's anonymity. (For example, "J.W., a college instructor in Psychology who is a therapist & a writer...").

Presentation of your results in a Research Report:

The standard APA style lab report can be used to present your case study. In the Introduction, briefly review past research & theory in your topic question (e.g. summarize current research on MBTI). Use APA referencing style to cite your sources. In the Method section, under Participants, present a general description of the participant (age, diagnosis, etc.). In the Materials section, describe any materials you may have used (e.g. on-line personality test), & in the Procedure section, note that your general research strategy was a case study, & describe your methods of data collection (e.g. interview, etc.).

In the Results section of the report, present your 2-4 page summary of the case study. Generally, avoid excessive interpretation of the case in the Results section. Simply present the person, their symptoms, diagnosis & treatment (if applicable). No citations would occur here, since you are describing your results.

Finally, in the Discussion section, interpret your participant's case from the perspective of current research &/or theory, including theory & research discussed in your Introduction, & other research or theory you may have found that would help you understand your case study. (For example, for a case study of MTBI, relate your participant's experience & symptoms to the research you presented in the Introduction. Is your case typical of a mild brain injury or not?)

Use APA referencing style to cite your sources. Do finish the Discussion section with a note on the limitations of your study in terms of generalizability. Because of the small sample used in a case study method, however illustrative it may be, you must be careful to avoid generalizing your results to other cases.

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