idiographic and nomographic approach

Question 1

how to remember Idiographic and Nomothetic?

Answer 1

• Idiographic= individual less scientific

- Nomothetic= social NORMS is more scientific

Question 2

explain Nomothetic?

Answer 2

• to produce general laws of human aggression
• aligned with scientific processes= experiments
• study with large numbers to establish laws
• reductionist and determinist
• behaviourist, cognitive and biological

Question 3

-explain the idiographic approach

Answer 3

• describes the nature of the individual eg. case studies and subjective experiences
• produces qualitative= and gains insight into a persons experiences
• eg. HM and KF

Question 4

evaluate support for the idiographic approach?

Answer 4

• qualitative methods, provides a complete account of a person and compliments nomothetic approach
• HM- brain damage revealed insights into normal functioning of memory

Question 5

evaluate a weakness for the idiographic approach?

Answer 5

• narrow and restricted = Freud’s oedipus complex which was derived from a single case study on little hans and generalisations have been made w/out further research
• lacks scientific credibility and subjective

Question 6

evaluate support for the nomothetic approach?

Answer 6

• more scientific= standardised conditions

- eg. IQ testing enabling social norms of behaviour to be established= more credible

Question 7

evaluate a weakness for the nomothetic approach?

Answer 7

• focus’ on general laws
• reductionist and accused of losing the who person unlike humanists
• knowing stats about schizophrenia says nothing about the people living with it and are given scores =quantitative