What research approach is suggested as an alternative to double dissociations in cognitive neuropsychology?

• A. Case study approach
• B. Lesion-mapping
• C. Functional imaging
• D. Group-wise behavioral testing

Answer: (A)

Case study investigations provide rich, within-subject evidence that helps map how different cognitive processes unfold in a single individual across a broad set of tasks. While double dissociations—showing one patient impaired on one task but spared on another, and a second patient with the opposite pattern—offer strong cross-subject evidence of independent modules, they aren’t always easy to obtain and can rest on assumptions about task purity and lesion localization. Studying one patient in depth across many tasks can reveal multiple, within-person dissociations and patterns of performance that illuminate how distinct processes contribute to behavior.

This approach also lets researchers bring in additional data—such as the patient’s lesion anatomy, one’s neuroimaging results, and computational models—to triangulate which mental operations are affected and which are preserved. Although findings from case studies don’t generalize to every person, they are invaluable for building and refining theories, especially in rare conditions or when lesion patterns are heterogeneous.