Idiographic and nomothetic approach Flashcards
1
Q
Explain the nomothetic approach
A
- this applies general laws and theories to explain behaviour across a whole population
- uses research methods e.g. lab experiments and correlational research, which involves groups of pps to draw general conclusions
- uses quantitative methods
- large samples for a lot of data
2
Q
Explain the idiographic approach
A
- focuses on the individual in detail
- looks at what makes each person different, and avoids making general laws and theories
- uses research methods e.g. case studies, interviews and observations that focus on individual
- qualitative methods
- sometimes uses idiographic methods
3
Q
Evaluation of nomothetic approach- strengths
A
- research methods mean that its a pretty controlled, objective and scientific approach
- the theories it produces can be scientifically tested
4
Q
Evaluation of nomothetic approach- weaknesses
A
- research methods used lack ecological validity and so can’t be reliably be generalised to real life
- individual differences are ignored so it’s less useful for explaining behaviour that doesn’t fit in with the norms of the general laws
5
Q
Evaluation of the idiographic approach- strengths
A
- focuses on the individual, so it can give a more complete explanation of behaviour than the nomothetic explanation
- detailed studies of individual cases can help to develop nomothetic laws by providing extra information- e.g. theories of memory have been combined with detailed case studies- HM
6
Q
Evaluation of the idiographic approach- weaknesses
A
7
Q
Psychodynamic- idiographic or nomothetic
A
- can be seen as having both nomothetic and idiographic
- Freud’s theory of psychosexual development assumed that the same stages could explain everyone’s development- nomothetic. But this approach was idiographic because it involved invetigating how an individual experiences the world through the use of case studies
8
Q
Biological- idiographic or nomothetic
A
- aims to find the cause of behaviour in biological structures and processes
- assumes these are the same across the population- nomothetic
9
Q
Cognitive- idiographic or nomothetic
A
- assumes the same mental processes apply across the population
- more towards nomothetic
10
Q
Behaviourist- idiographic or nomothetic
A
- psychologists from the behaviourist approach apply cause and effect laws to explain behaviour in general, which is thought to be a result of classical and operant conditioning
- nomothetic
11
Q
Humanistic- idiographic or nomothetic
A
- heavily focused on individuals and their drive for self actualisation
- idiographic
12
Q
idiographic researfch
A
lil albert
genie
clive wearing
phineas gage
13
Q
nomothetic research
A
bandura
ss
asch
