Psychology is a type of science because psychologists share a basic assumption w

ith all other scientists. Psychology methods can range from simple to complex. T
here are several research methods in psychology, and the outcome is relatively d
ifferent for each. Each method studies and tests different situations. The goals
of psychologist are to make predictions about the conditions that gave rise to t
hem, and then use that knowledge to predict and possibly to control events in th
e future . (Stephen F.Davis, 2007)
Case study uses information obtained from one person or a few people to illumina
te the behaviors of others and suggest further research. Sigmund Freud populariz
ed case study along with his psychonalytic theory of personality. A major advant
age of the case study is that focussed on one person allows researchers to gathe
r a great deal of detailed information. The goal of a case study is to use the i
nformation gathered from one person to understand the behaviors of others. The ca
se study is often used by used by psychologist in order to research into aspects
of the human psyche. (Keirs, 2009) Psychologist use experiments, interviews, que
stionnaires, observations, diaries, and psychometric tests are used within a cas
e study. There are two basic types of case study; retrospective and longitudinal
. In retrospective, your information comes from the history of the person you ar
e studying. If it were a person who was being studied, you would have been to in
terview the person about their childhood and their family, as a result developed
a report of their life and early life. In contrast longitudinal, investigates t
he future. They research consequences of a certain situation that has happened.
The key feature in the case study method is subject matter. The subject matter i
s usually a person or an animal. Much like experimental case study, it often use
s variables. As with any other method, it has its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage of case study is the ecological validity of it. The information th
at is used in these studies is from real life environment. The information is go
od information because the research is so in depth. The research if often very u
seful. There are also disadvantages and potential disadvantages. One main disadv
antage is case studies usually relate to one individual, and what applies to you
may not apply to me. Replication would not be easy with case study because of t
he unique situations.
The experimental method allows a researcher to accurately test their hypothesis b
y giving them control over the variables involved, allowing them to identify why
something may be happening and accurately measure behavior by using scientific
method (Wagner, 2009) The experimental method is one of the few methods that uses
real scientific thought. It carefully uses the scientific method to solve diffe
rent cases. Some of our most skilled and knowledgeable psychologist began their
career with a strong belief in the experimental method. As with the survey metho
d, the experimental method helps with the investigation of a curious fact. The lo
gic of the experimental method starts with a hypothesis, or testable prediction,
about which variable or variable causes the behavior under consideration. (Steph
en F.Davis, 2007) Many psychologists are guided by their hypothesis, even though
it is said not to rely too heavily on it. Psychologist use independent and depe
ndent variables in their experiments to observe how one variable affects the nex
t. Psychologist use direct and clear vocabulary known as operational definitions
. Using operational definitions allow other psychologist to repeat the experimen
t with no hassle. In the experimental method, there is also an experimental grou
p and a controlled group. On one hand, the experimental group is exposed to the
independent variable whereas the controlled group is not exposed. In later year s
psychologist have also turned to mathematics. They began using two main branches
of statistics, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics.
There are only small advantages and disadvantages in the experimental method. Wi
th the experimental environment, you have the ability to show cause and effect.
The disadvantage is that most of these experiments are conducted in a lab settin
g, which may inhibit natural behavior.

In conclusion, my research has shown me that the case study and experimental met
hod has many flaws as well as the other methods. The years of work put into the
psychology field have brought many different opinions and facts. Case study allo
ws us to limit our research to one person. The experimental method allows us to
cancel out all other possibilities, leaving us knowledgeable. These two methods
are only a few of the, methods that have been and still are helpful to us today.