Ideographic v. Nomothetic Flashcards
Define nomothetic.
General laws, applicable to large populations, produced from large samples using the empirical method.
Define ‘idiographic’.
Specific insight into a particular person, or type of person, typically produced from case studies and other similar, small-sample, methodologies.
Give an example of a nomothetic concept in psychology.
Skinner’s approach to positive and negative reinforcement.
Give an example of idiographic concept in psychology.
Watson and Rayner’s study of little Albert and the role of classical and operant conditioning in phobias.
Give two advantages in the nomothetic v. idiographic debate in psychology.
Advantages:
- Ideographic and nomothetic approaches work together - idiographic studies use qualitative methods which provide detail complimenting the quantitative methods in nomothetic studies - may trigger further nomothetic research into an area - e.g. case study of KF - led to Baddeley and Hitch’s WMM - encourages holistic research into a particular area.
- Both approaches can be considered to fit in with the aims of science - nomothetic seeks objectivity through stats tests and standardisation - idiographic research also seeks objectivity through triangulation and reflexivity (researchers examine own biases) - both approaches, in this respect, raise psychology’s status as a science.
Give two disadvantages in the nomothetic v. idiographic approach in psychology.
1) With the nomothetic, individual experience is lost - ‘lose the whole person’ in psychology - e.g. 1% of those who take atypical antipsychotics experience agranulocytosis - gives little insight into the condition itself - thus the nomothetic approach is limited as it gives little insight into experience.
2) Nomothetic theories are not always an exact fit and adopt a one-size-fits all approach - meaning that theories may be inappropriate for some - also interventions (treatments) may be inappropriate for some and may only have moderate success for some.
What types of research methods are favoured by those under the idiographic approach?
interviews, case studies, self-reflection, self-report techniques and qualitative sources such as diaries, journals and letters.
Who suggested there are three types of general laws and what are they?
Radford and Kirby suggested that there were three types these were classification, establishing principles and establishing dimensions.
What is classification from a nomothetic perspective?
The idea that certain individuals can be categorised into different groups based on characteristics, attitude or behaviour. e.g. DSM-5 - classify mental illness.
What is establishing principles from a nomothetic perspective?
Trying to establish laws that can be generalised to human behaviour. E.g. classical conditioning and learning by association can be applied to many.
What is establishing dimensions from a nomothetic perspective?
The attempt to document continuums upon which an individual can be placed. E.g. the F-scale
