Week 12. Observational Studies & Case Studies

How can the researcher–participant relationship vary?

From absent to present.

What is non-participant observation?

The researcher observes from a distance without involvement.

Why can decreasing researcher–participant distance be useful?

It can lead to a deeper understanding of the situations and the people involved in the study.

What is an observational study?

A study in which behavior is observed rather than manipulated.

What is the key strength of observational studies?

They capture behavior as it naturally occurs.

What is unobtrusive observation?

Observing behavior without participants being aware they are being studied.

Why is unobtrusive observation often an advantage?

It avoids biased self-reports and reduces the Hawthorne effect.

What is the Hawthorne effect?

People change their behavior because they know they are being observed.

What is a major concern with unobtrusive observation?

Ethical issues (e.g., consent and privacy).

What is implicit observation?

Measuring responses without asking participants to explicitly report thoughts or feelings.

Are participants aware during implicit observation?

Often yes, but they are not asked to verbalize their mental states. The researcher is not explicit about what is being measured. These often yield quantitative data through physiological or behavioral tracking.

Give 2 examples of implicit measures.

• Eye Tracking: Measuring how long someone looks at an ad rather than asking

  them (which is often inaccurate).

• Physiological Measures: Measuring heart rate or skin conductance to assess

  scariness or attraction instead of using a self-report scale.

What is a suitable implicit measure for “How interesting is this ad?”

How long a person looks at the advertisement.

What is a suitable implicit measure for fear (e.g. spider image)?

Increased heart rate or skin conductance.Increased heart rate or skin conductance.

What is a case study?

An in-depth study of one or a very small number of cases.

In which fields are case studies commonly used?

Social sciences and life sciences.

What is the main goal of a case study?

Understanding complex phenomena in context.

What is a prototypical case?

A case that is representative of a broader population.

What is an extreme case?

A case that deviates strongly from the norm.

Why are extreme cases useful?

They can reveal mechanisms that are hard to observe otherwise.

Who was Oliver Sacks and why is he relevant here?

A neurologist who used case studies to understand cognition and perception.

What was the “Genie” case?

An extreme case of child neglect informing language and communication research.

What did Hervey Cleckley’s case studies contribute to?

Understanding psychopathy.

Are case studies low in scientific value by definition?

No.

Why is generalizability not always the main goal of case studies?

They aim for deep understanding rather than statistical generalization.

Name two limitations of case studies.

1. Time-consuming

2. Generate unwieldy amounts of data

3. Difficult to replicate

4. May be subject to researcher bias.

What is a risk when interpreting “one-shot” case studies?

Overgeneralization without strong justification.

What key distinction exists within observational studies?

Unobtrusive vs. implicit observation.

What distinguishes case studies from other methods?

Focus on depth and context rather than large samples.