First and foremost this is a descriptive method, not an explanatory one. That is, without the controlled conditions of the laboratory, conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships cannot be drawn. Behavior can only be described, not explained.

Case studies also involve only a single individual or just a few and therefore may not be representative of the general group or population.

In the social sciences case studies often rely on descriptive information provided by different people. This leaves room for important details to be left out. Also, much of the information collected is retrospective data, recollections of past events, and is therefore subject to the problems inherent to memory.

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