Idiographic and Nomothetic approach

Question 1

Idiographic approach
Overview AO1

1. uniqueness
2. Types of data is this approach and why? (Developing)
3. What methods does it use?
4. An example of a case study?

Answer 1

• Focuses on individuals and empasises uniqueness.
• Approach is qualitative as the focus is on developing an in-depth insight into human behaviour
• Used methods such as:
  unstructured interviews
  case studies
  thematic analysis

Examples:
Freud (1909)

Question 2

Idiographic approach
Example AO1

Consisted of what?

to understand what/

Answer 2

Freud (1909) used case studies in order to understand human behaviour.

Little hans consisted of approx 150 pages of quotes from his father + freuds interpretations

Question 3

What type of psychologist would favour idiographic approaches?

Answer 3

Humanistic psychologists as they are concerned with studying the person’s subjective experience.

Question 4

Nomothetic approach
Overview AO1

1. aims.
2. To make
3. In order to what?

Answer 4

Based on the study of large numbers of people and aims to make generalisations in order to formulate general theories of behaviour.

• Uses quantitve methods such as:
• Analysing numerical data
• using statistical analysis.

Question 5

Approaches examples that are nomothetic.

• How what works?
• of what?
• although can be used to illustrate what?

general laws

Answer 5

• Biological approaches - seeks to formulate general laws about how the brain works
• Behaviourists produce general laws of behaviour e.g classical, operant conditiing to explain learning in humans & animals
• Cognitive psychology is also nomothetic, although case studies such as HM can be used to illustrate memory processes.

Question 6

Strength of Idiographic approach
Evaluation AO3

Allport (1961) - Focuses o the individual,

1. what was need as.. and why?
2. There was too much what … on what?
3. only by what.. can we predict what a person will do.

Answer 6

Strength of idiographic approach its focus on the individual.

Allport (1961) - Argued that a drastic reorientation was needed as psychologists had lost sight of what it was to be human.

• Aruged that there was too much emphasis on measurment, and it is only by knowing the person as an individual that we can predict what the person will do.

Question 7

This suggests Allport (1961)
LINK SENTENCE

Can provid us

Answer 7

This suggests that the focuses on individuals can provide us with a more complete understanding.

Question 8

Weakness of idiographic approach
Evaluation AO3
Time consuming

why?

Can be quicker bc..
once you have..

Answer 8

Idiographic approaches are based on large amounts of data about one individual whereas nomothetic collects data from a large number of people.

Can be quicker because once you have devised a questionnaire or psychological test data can be generated quickly.

Question 9

Weakness of idiographic approach
Evaluation AO3
Time consuming
LINK SENTENCE

What does this mean when it comes to data collection..

Answer 9

This means that the idiographic approach is less efficient when it comes to data collection

Question 10

Weakness of idiographic approach.

Lack of objective evidence
One a research has built up..

what can this be used for?

Hall and Lindzey (1970)

Answer 10

Idiographic approaches tend to enable preditions.

Once a research has built up extremely detailed observation of a few individuals this can be used to make generalisations and formulate theories.

Hall and Lindzey (1970) argue that this stance makes Allport’s approach more nomothetic rather than idiographic

Question 11

Weakness of idiographic approach
Lack of objective evidence

The idiographic approach may be scientific, but the inability to produce general predicitions about behaviour is limiting

LINK SENTENCE

in developing what?

Answer 11

This suggests that nomothetic approaches are more useful than the idiographic approach in developing psychological treatments.

Question 12

Strength of both idiographic approaches
Combined methods
AO3

Holt (1967)No such things as…

Milion and David (1996) -
Due to the fact that idiographic

Answer 12

Holt (1967) - Claimed that there is no such thing as a unique individual and that the idiographic approach is still used to generate principles of behaviour.

Million and David (1996) - argue due to the fact that idiographic approaches end up as nomothetic. The researcher should start with the nomothetic approach and can then focus on idiographic understanding

Question 13

Strength of idiographic approaches
Combined methods
AO3

LINK SENTENCE

researchers suggest

Answer 13

Consequentley researchers suggest that both approaches should be used together.