ABSTRACT
As we discussed in Chapter 2, the single-case research strategy makes an intensive study of a single person, group, organization, or culture. Single-case research can take the form of either a case study or a single-case experiment. Both forms of research focus on a single instance of the phenomenon under study. However, case study research usually focuses on an event in an unconstrained natural context, whereas the single-case experiment is usually carried out in a more controlled environment with the researcher manipulating the independent variable. In this chapter, we review the role of single-case research in psychology, examine the factors that affect the validity of the conclusions that one can draw from single-case research, discuss some of the factors that infl uence the design of case studies and single-participant experiments, and conclude with a look at how data from single-case research are analyzed.
