Issues and Debates- Idiographic and Nomothetic Approaches Flashcards
What do nomothetic approaches do?
Applies general laws and theories to explain behaviour across a whole population
What does nomothetic research use?
Research methods such as laboratory experiments and correlational research which involve groups of participants to draw general conclusions
Do nomothetic approaches use quantitative or qualitative methods?
Usually quantitative
What do idiographic approaches do?
Focuses on the individual in detail, and looks at what makes each person different and avoids making general laws and theories
What does idiographic research use?
Research methods such as case studies, interviews and observations that focus on the individual
Do idiographic approaches use quantitative or qualitative methods?
Usually qualitative
What is a strength of the nomothetic approach?
Research methods used mean that it’s pretty controlled, objective and scientific approach, and the theories it produces can then be scientifically tested
What is a limitation of the nomothetic approach?
Research methods lack ecological validity so can’t be reliably generalised to real life
What is the problem with creating general laws?
Individual differences are ignored so less useful for explaining behaviour that doesn’t fit in with the norms of the general laws
What is a strength of the idiographic approach?
It focuses on the individual so it can give a more complete explanation of behaviour
What is a limitation of the idiographic approach?
Fewer people are studied so hard to generalise findings to larger populations
How can the idiographic approach contribute to the nomothetic approach?
Detailed studies of individual cases can help to develop nomothetic laws by providing extra information
What is the view of the psychodynamic approach?
More idiographic- involved investigating how an individual experiences the world through the use of case studies
Nomothetic- assumed the same stages could explain everyone’s development
What is the view of the biological approach?
Nomothetic- aims to find the cause of behaviour in biological structures and processes and assumes these are the same across the populations
What is the view of the cognitive approach?
Nomothetic- assumes the same mental processes apply across the population
