ABSTRACT
The chapter describes some methods of getting knowledge other than by traditional experiments and surveys. The first group includes the qualitative methods of deduction and case study—including the psychological depth study—which are neither surveys nor experimental methods. The chapter discusses use of expert opinion as a method of obtaining knowledge. It also discusses content analysis, which is a quantitative method of working with “qualitative” data. The case study is almost synonymous with the descriptive type of research. When studying a complex group situation, the researcher is especially likely to conclude that personal involvement is the appropriate strategy. The phrase “human yardstick” has been applied to studies in which judges’ ratings of psychological phenomena are the measurements with which the researcher works. From one point of view it is reasonable to call content analysis a “qualitative” technique, for the researcher does not make quantitative comparisons between two or more cases.
