Case Study Description Essay

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Case Study Description When a case study is conducted, the researcher conducts an in-depth observation on a particular individual for an extended period of time. While observing the individual, the researcher records their observations which are then translated into case materials that are used to demonstrate a possible problem (American Psychological Association, 2009). Also, as mentioned before, case studies are solely focused on observations of a particular individual. However, even though the word individual is usually used to refer to a person, in this case, it can also be used to refer to a business, school, or neighborhood (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Conducting Case Studies In the field of psychology, there are many reasons why a psychologist would use a case study as a research method. One reason to use a case study is so the psychologist can illustrate a problem (American Psychological Association, 2009). For example, a case study was conducted on a child named Genie that grew up in severe isolation. Due to her extremely neglectful circumstances, Genie never spoke a word until she was discovered at the age of 13. Because of the case study observations conducted on Genie, psychologists were able to conclude that if an …show more content…

An advantage to using a case study is the information they are able to provide concerning rare or unusual conditions in specific individuals. By studying these individuals, psychologists are able to gather data about unique phenomenon in psychology and formulate hypotheses that can be tested in the future (Cozby & Bates, 2012). Another advantage to using case studies is the fact that they can provide such detailed results. Rather than just conducting an experiment and having the participants leave after a short period of time, case studies involve being with the participants for an extended period of

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