A clinical psychologist in Kochi is working with Meera, a 15-year-old girl who has suddenly stopped going to school. Over six weeks the psychologist talks with Meera alone several times and watches her at home with her family. She asks Meera's parents and teachers to fill in forms about her and gives Meera two standard tests. She also gathers details of Meera's early childhood, past illnesses, friendships and the family's recent move to a new city. All of this information is then brought together into a single report on Meera.
Which assessment method best describes the psychologist's work with Meera taken as a whole?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Case study
Option (1) Observation — Incorrect. <strong>Observation</strong> uses systematic, organised and objective procedures to record behaviour as it happens naturally in real time. Watching Meera at home is observation, but it is <strong>only one source</strong> of the information the psychologist gathers.
Option (2) Interview — Incorrect. An <strong>interview</strong> seeks information from a person on a one-to-one basis. The talks with Meera alone are interviews, yet they <strong>form only one part</strong> of the whole assessment.
Option (3) Self-report — Incorrect. In a <strong>self-report</strong>, a person gives factual information, opinions or beliefs about herself through a questionnaire, a test or a diary. Here much of the information comes from parents, teachers and the psychologist's own watching, so self-report <strong>does not cover the whole work</strong>.
Option (4) Case study — Correct. A <strong>case study</strong> is an in-depth study of one individual's psychological attributes and history in the context of her psychosocial and physical environment. It is <strong>based on data from different methods</strong> such as interview, observation, questionnaire and tests. Meera's talks, home visits, forms, tests and life history all go into one report, which is a case study.
NCERT (2026-27): “Assessment Methods … |