Idiographic vs Nomothetic Flashcards
introductory para
what is the idiographic approach
research focuses more on the individual case as a means of understadning behaviour. generally generates qualitative data eg case study
what is the nomothetic approach
attempts to study human behaviour through the development of general principles and universal laws. generally generates quantitative data eg experiments
examples of nomothetic approach
- biological app: developed laws with our genes eg ocd. no detail on person
- behaviourist app: skinner developed developed laws on learning thr exp
examples of idiographic approach
- humanist app: rogers unconditional pos regard using interviews
- psychodynamic app: freud’s observations explain nature using case studies to explain phobias
complimetary point
rather than seeing them as separate its possible to consider topics from both perspectives eg distinguish general patterns of behaviour alongside case studies
examples of complimentary approaches
memory:
- clive wearing (case study) showed theres separate stores in memory (STM + LTM), supporting MSM.
- murdocks (nomothetic) shows separate stores in memory through large experiment gathering quant data to see overall trend
evaluation of idiographic approach
S: contributes to nomothetic using in depth qualitaive methods
W: very narrow + restricted as meaningful generalisations cannot be made without further examples so without nomothetic theories cannot be built
evaluation of nomothetic approach
S: processes used in it are used in natural sciences raising psychologys status as a science
W: ‘losing the individual’ as fails to relate to experience eg 1% of develop schizo tells little what like to experience it so neglects to understand experience
concluding evaluation point
should identify 2 approaches as distinct as both have value. also a sense they are 2 ends of continuum eg clive wearing supported MSM. thus perhaps false distinction and should be viewed as complimentary
