Idiographic and nomotheic approaches Flashcards
What is the idiographic-nomothetic debate?
2 opposing approaches
- Idiographic: suggests psych should study individuals
- Through gathering lots of info about a person = understanding human behavior better
- nomothetic: psych should study large and varied groups
- Should make generalizations about what is typical in different aspects of human behavior
What is the idiographic approach to psychological investigation
- Small number of participants in this research
- Some research may include info from family and friends
- Focus on detail
- Doesn’t mean generalizations aren’t made
- Initial focus on understanding the individuals
What are the features of qualitative research?
Most research is qualitative
- Interviewed in depth
- Focus on a particular facet of human behavior
- Data analyzed
- Emergent themes identified
- Conclusions may help those experiencing similar
- May help professionals determine best practice
What are examples of idigraphic/qualitative research?
Associated with humanistic and psychodynamic approach
- Rogers sought to explain the processes of self development
- derived from in depth conversations which clients during therapy
- Freud’s observations: basis of his explanations of human nature
What is the nomothetic approach to psychological investigation?
Aim is generalization
- helps create ‘laws’ and general principles of behavior
- can be applied to individual situations such as drug therapy
What are the features of quantitative research?
- Fits traditional models of the ‘scientific method’
- Hypothesis are formulated
- Samples of people (or animals) are assessed
- Numerical data is produced
- Then analyzed for statistical significance
- Seeks to quantify human behavior
What are examples of nomothetic/quantitative in psych?
Associated with the behaviorist and biological approach
- Skinner studied animals to develop general laws of learning
- Research looked at one aspect of behavior in a few animals
- aim to establish general laws
- Bio psych uses small samples
- Sperry’s split brain research involved repeated testing
- Helped form a basic understanding of hemispheric laterization
What is the biggest difference between idiographic and nomothetic approaches?
Objectivity and subjectivity
Which one is nomothetic?
Objective
- Laws of behavior are only possible if assessments are standardized in an object way
- Ensures replication
- Removes influence of bias
Which one is idiographic?
Subjective
- Peoples individual experience of their unique context is what is important
What are strengths of the idiographic approach?
Contributes to the nomothetic approach
- Used in depth qualitative methods
- Provides a global description of the individual
- Complimented the nomothetic by shedding light on general laws or by challenging them
- A single case may generate hypothetical for further study (Case of H.M)
- Despite the focus being on individuals, idiographic approach still helps form scientific laws of behaviour
What are strengths of idiographic and nomothetic approach?
Fits with the aims of science
- Processes involved in nomothetic research similar to those in natural sciences
- Researchers using idiographic approach tend to objectify their methods
- EG: findings from a range of studies are compared using diff qualitative methods to increase validity
- Modern qualitative researchers reflect upon their biases - part of research process
- Both approaches raise psychology’s status as science
What are limitations of idiographic approach?
Narrow and restricted nature
- meaningful generalizations cant be made without further examples
- If it did = no adequate baseline to compare behavior to
- Methods used tend to be less scientific
- Conclusions rely on subjective interpretation
- Open to bias
- Difficult to build effective general theories without nomothetic research
What are limitations of nomothetic approach?
Loss of understanding of the individual
- Preoccupied with general laws, prediction and control
- Loses the whole person within psychology
- EG: knowing that there’s a 1% risk of developing schizophrenia tell us nothing about what life is like for those with it
- Understanding the subjective experience might be useful when devising appropriate treatment options
