Idiographic and Nomothetic Approach Flashcards
Outline idiographic vs nomothetic approach (6 marks)
Idiographic approach argues that all individuals are unique, with their own subjective experience and values. Only qualitative methods which help you understand individual experience should be used such as Case study, unstructured interviews and self reports. The aim of the approach is to gain an insight into the person’s unique way of viewing the world. For example, humanism argues for idiographic approaches as it is more important to study an individual because as we are unique it is not possible to create general laws of behaviour that fit all. Nomothetic approach aims to create general laws of human behaviour. It uses quantitative methods which use large samples which are representative of the population to understand behaviour. Sampling techniques such as random sampling are used to ensure a sample is representative. The methods used tend to be scientific such as experiments where a hypothesis is tested under controlled conditions so cause and effect conclusions are possible. For example behaviourists conduct controlled research to make laws about behaviour such as research by Skinner in using rats to explain the process of reinforcement.
Discuss the idiographic and nomothetic approach (3 X AO3)
Critics argue that idiographic approaches could lack internal validity due to the absence of scientific methods. Idiographic approaches use methods such as case studies and self-reports which tend to be subjective and open to bias. This is unlike nomothetic approaches which use objective and empirical methods such as lab experiments and controlled observations to collect data on human behaviour. Therefore, this can lower credibility of the idiographic approach in
comparison to the nomothetic approach which may be more respected by scientists and the general public due to their factual and scientific nature.
Although a strength of the idiographic approach is that it uses in-depth qualitative methods that provide rich data. This is because it focuses just on the individual and their unique experience. For example, the case study of Clive Wearing gave valuable insight into brain damaged individuals and amnesia and giving us supporting how our memory has separate stores. Unlike the nomothetic approach which use large samples and therefore cannot find out in-depth information about single cases. Therefore, suggesting that the idiographic approach is a more effective approach for helping us understand the reasons behind human behaviour.
However, it could be argued that because the nomothetic approach uses large samples, this allows us to create general laws of human behaviour, so rather than seeing the approaches as ‘alternatives’ to each other, it might be better to study and explain human behaviour using both approaches. For example, in memory studies into the capacity, duration and coding of the SR, STM and LTM have been carried out to attempt to establish general patterns of and individuals memory (nomothetic) but also many case study examples of patients such as Clive Wearing (idiographic) which provided researches with in detailed information about is memory functions. Therefore, the goal of modern psychology should be to use both approaches in order to provide detailed, rich, descriptions of human behaviour as well as the explanation of such behaviour within the framework of general laws.
