idiographic and nomotheitc approaches Flashcards
the idiographic-nomothetic debate
centred around two opposing appproaches
idiographic approach - suggests psychology should be the study of individuals
because by obtaining lots of detailed info about that individual or group we can understand human behaviour better
nomothetic approach - suggests that psychology should be the study of large and varied groups
to make generalisations about what is typical in different aspects of human behaviour (establishing norms)
this debate has implications fir the types of research method psychologists use - whether we study individuals in-depth or study larger groups and discuss averages
there is also a sense in which these two approaches overlap and both may have their place within a scientific study of the perosn
key concepts of the debate
the idiographic approach to psychological investigation
thew number of participants in idiographic research is small often a single case
some research might include information from family reiner’s of others but focus in on the detail - what can we learn about this indivusdal case
this does nit mean that generalisations are not made - but the initial focus is about understanding the indivual
the idiographic approach to psychological investigation
qualitative research
most idiographic research is qualitative
example - research on depression would be based on first-hand accounts from a small number of people (case study)
participants would be interviewed in depth and focus may be on a particular bit of human behaviour - such as how participants coped with their expierinces
such data is then analysed and emergent themes are identified
conclusions may help others people going through similar experiences or may help mental health professionals determine best practice
the idiographic approach to psychological investigation
examples in psychology
most associated with the humanistic and psychodynamic approaches
Roger’s - sought to caplin the presses of self-development including the role of unconditional positive regard
derived from in-depth conversations with clients in therapy
Freuds - careful observations of individuals were the basis of his expansions of human nature example - case of little hans was used to explain how a phobia might develop
nomothetic approach to psychological investigation
main aim is generalisation in order to create laws - create general principles of behaviour (theories ) which then for exmaple could be applied to individual situations such as drug therapy
nomothetic approach to psychological investigation
quantitative research
closely fits traditional models of the scientific method
hypotheses are formulated , samples of peoples or animals,als are assessed in some way
then numerical data is procdued and analysed for its statistical significance
nomothetic approaches seek to count human behaviour
nomothetic approach to psychological investigation
examples in psychology
the behaviourist and biological approaches are nomothetic even though sometimes they use quire small samples
example - Skinner studied animals to d3evleop the general laws of learning
his research looked at one aspect of behaviour in a few animals but the main aim was to establish general laws
similarly biological psychology may used a small sample such as sperrys split brian research which involved repeated testing and was the basis for understanding hemispheric lateralisation
objective versus subjective
key difference between idiographic and nomothetic approaches is how each related to subjectivity and objectivity
objectivivity lies with the nomothetic approach
laws of behaviour are only possible if methods of assessment are delivered din a standardised and objective way
ensures true replication occurs across samples of behaviour and removes the contaminating influence of bias
in contrast researchers working within the idiographic approach tend to not believe that objectivity is possible
it is expels indivial experience of their unique context that is importnat rather than underlying laity that is waiting to be discovered
strenght
complete account
strength of the idiographic approach is that is contributes to the nomothetic approach
the idiographic approach used in depth qualitative methods of investigation
this provides a global description of one individual
this may complement the nomothetic approach by shedding further light on general laws or by challenging laws
example - a single case may generate hypotheses for further study such as the case of HM
cases like HM may reveal important insights about the normal functioning which may contribute to our overall understanding
suggest that even though he focus is on fewer infdicuals the idiographic approach may still help form scienfitifc laws of behaviour
strength
scientific credibility
strength of both approaches is that they fit the aims of science
the process involved in the nomothetic research are similar to those used in the natureal sciences
example - establishing objectivity through standardisation control and statistical testing
however researchers using the idiographic approach also seek to objectify their methods
example - triangulation is used whereby findings from a range of studies using different qualitative methods are compares as a way of increasing validity
also modern day qualitative researchers are careful to reflect upon their own biases and preconceptions as part fo the research process
suggest that bith he nomothetic and idiographic approaches raise psychology’s status as a science
limitation
losing the person
limitation of nomothetic approach is loss of understanding of the individual
fact that the nomothetic approach is preoccupied with general laws prediction and control means it has been accused of loosing the whole perosn within psychology
example - knowing the biological implications of ocd and the risk from twin studies tells us little about what lfie is like for someone who has been diagnosed with the disorder
understanding the subjective experience of OCD might prove useful when it comes to devising approprotate treatment options
means in its search for generalities the nomothetic approach may sometimes fail to relate to experience
