Idiographic vs nomothetic

Question 1

Using an example of a research study you have learned about in psychology, outline what is meant by a nomothetic approach to psychological investigation.

Referring to the example used in your answer to part (a), briefly explain how the same behaviour might be studied using an idiographic approach to psychological investigation

Answer 1

a nomothetic approach involves studying a large sample of participants

• they use the findings to generate or substantiate general laws/models of behaviour

-E.g Ainsworth tested infants using the Strange Situation to propose three attachment types.

Question 2

• Psychology students investigated the effect of type of play area on friendly behaviours.
  -They watched the behaviour of six-year-old children in two different play areas and recorded their observations using a set of behavioural categories. They observed 25 children in the first play area and another 25 children in a second play area.

Play Area 1 was a grass space, surrounded by trees and plants.

Play Area 2 was a paved space, surrounded by brick and concrete walls.

What are behavioural categories? Explain why it was important to use behavioural categories in this observation.

Answer 2

-a system of behavioural categories is a list/tally chart examples of behaviour likely to occur during an observation
- these should be observable

• using a set of behavioural categories should enable the recordings of friendly behaviour made by the two students to be consistent
• this means that the observations can be carried out reliably/be less subjective interpretations of what is friendly and what is not.

Question 3

What is a ‘nomothetic approach’? Suggest one limitation of a nomothetic approach.

Answer 3

• The main aim is to produce general laws of human behaviour .
  -These provide a benchmark against which people can be compared, classified and measured
  -cannot find out in-depth information about single cases

Question 4

A prison psychologist used an idiographic approach to study offending. He asked two offenders to record their thoughts about their childhood and their offending behaviour in a journal over a period of four weeks.
Qualitative analysis of the journals showed that the offenders often thought about sad childhood events and believed that their childhood experiences had influenced their offending.
Findings from idiographic research like the study described above are often used as a basis for other investigations.

-Explain how the researcher might develop the above investigation through taking a nomothetic approach

Answer 4

taking a nomothetic approach would involve the researcher testing a larger sample of offenders

• sampling should involve a method of sample selection to give representativeness of a larger population, eg random sampling of the prison population
• the researcher would probably use a testable hypothesis, eg violent offenders have more negative thoughts about childhood than non-violent offenders
• taking a nomothetic approach would involve collection of a large amount of data
• analysis would probably involve quantitative methods, eg statistical testing and the drawing of conclusions in relation to a wider population