Issue And Debates : Idiographic And Nomothetic Approach Flashcards
What is idiographic?
“The term ‘idiographic’ comes from the Greek word ‘idios’, which means ‘own’ or ‘private’. Psychologists who take an idiographic approach focus on the
individual, and emphasise the unique personal experience of human nature.”
What is nomothetic?
The term ‘nomothetic’ comes from the Greek word ‘nomos’ which means ‘law’. Psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned with establishing general laws, based on the study of large groups of people, and the use of statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data.
What is the idiographic approach?
- Psychologists who take an idiographic approach focus on the individual and emphasise the unique personal experience of human nature.
- This means they favour qualitative research methods, such as the case study, unstructured interviews and thematic analysis which allow an in-depth insight into individual behaviour.
Example of an idiographic approach?
- example of an idiographic approach, as they provide an in-depth insight into an individual or small group which can be used to evaluate a theory.
- For example, Shallice and Warrington (1970) examined the case of Patient KF, who experienced a motorbike accident. KF’s short- term forgetting of auditory information was greater than his forgetting of visual information, suggesting that short-term memory (STM) consists of multiple components.
- Consequently, Patient KF undermines the Multi-Store Model of Memory suggesting that STM is not one unitary component. -Therefore, an individual case study can highlight flaws within a theory and significantly undermine other research.
Another example of idiographic approach?
- example of an idiographic approach comes from Freud’s use of case studies. Freud conducted very detailed investigations into the lives of his patients in an attempt to understand and help them overcome their psychological disorders.
- His most famous case studies include Little Hans and The Rat Man.
- While Freud did try to produce generalisations from his case studies, they are still viewed as an idiographic approach because each person’s psychological disorder derived from their unique childhood experiences.
What is the nomothetic approach
- Psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned with establishing general laws, based on the study of large groups of people, and the use of statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data.
- This means that experiments, correlations, psychometric testing and other quantitative methods are favoured among nomothetic researchers.
Examples of nomothetic approach in biology?
- Biological Psychologists take a nomothetic approach when explaining psychological disorders, such as OCD and depression.
- They typically pinpoint biological factors, such as neurotransmitters, that are responsible for such disorders and use biological therapies (e.g. drugs) to treat all patients.
Examples of nomothetic approach in behaviourist?
Behaviourists, such as Pavlov and Skinner, conducted experiments with animals in order to establish laws of learning (classical and operant conditioning) that could be generalised to humans and non-human animals
Examples of nomothetic approach in cognitive ?
- Cognitive psychologists, such as Atkinson and Shiffrin, developed general laws, such as the Multi- Store Model of Memory, which they believed could be generalised to everyone.
Examples of nomothetic approach in social?
Social psychologists, such as Milgram and Asch, used a nomothetic approach to create general conclusions about human behaviour: that situational factors are responsible for both obedience and conformity.
What is idiographic research?
Methods of investigation: • Qualitative
• Case studies
• Unstructured interviews
• Thematic Analysis
These methods provide in depth insight into individual behaviour.
The idiographic approach does not seek to formulate laws or generalise results.
Studies the individual and not groups
What is the advantage of idiographic?
- Gains detail
- Can uncover causes for behaviour
- Develop a holistic view of the person
- Can provide hypothesis for future study
What is the limitations of idiographic?
- Cannot generalise to the wider population
- Methods are subjective
- Difficult to be replicated
What is nomothetic research?
Methods of investigation:
• Quantitative
• Experiments
• Correlational research
• Psychometric testing (personality)
The nomothetic approach is the main approach within scientifically orientated psychology.
The nomothetic approach does seek to formulate laws and/or generalise results.
Advantages of nomothetic research?
- Can generalise to wider population
- Methods are objective and measurable
