Psychology is the science of brain, mind and behavior, involving all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. It is an academic discipline and a social science to obtain in-depth analysis of individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases. A variety of techniques may be engaged including personal interviews, direct-observation, psychometric tests, and archival records. The advantages of the case study in psychology are the potential for the development of novel hypotheses for later testing; the case study can provide detailed descriptions of specific and rare cases.