What is a case study?

• A. An in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event to explore causes of behavior; provides detailed information but findings may not generalize.
• B. A large-scale survey.
• C. A hypothetical scenario.
• D. A purely theoretical model.

Answer: (A)

Case studies involve an in-depth examination of one person, group, or event to explore how and why certain behaviors occur, within their real-life context. This approach yields rich, detailed information about complex factors and interactions that shape behavior, which you can observe across time and in natural settings. The strength lies in capturing context, nuance, and processes—things you might miss in larger studies. Because it zooms in on a single case or a small number of cases, the findings are not easily generalized to everyone or every situation, but they can reveal mechanisms, generate hypotheses, and illustrate how factors come together in real life. This method is especially valuable for studying unusual or new phenomena where broader samples aren’t feasible. In contrast, a large-scale survey aims for broad generalization across many people with standardized measures; a hypothetical scenario uses imagined circumstances to reason about outcomes; and a purely theoretical model relies on abstract constructs and mathematics without observing real cases.