ISSUES AND DEBATES: idiographic and nomothetic approaches Flashcards
what is the idiographic- nomothetic debate?
whether we study individuals in depth or study larger groups and discuss averages.
what is the idiographic approach?
A research approach that focuses more on individual cases to understand behaviour.
Is idiographic research qualitative or quantitative? why?
QUALITATIVE = emphasises in-depth analysis of the individual.
methods such as interviews, and case studies allow researchers to explore complex, subjective perspectives.
Data are then analysed and themes are then identified.
What are some idiographic examples in psychology?
Humanistic and psychodynamic approach =
eg Rogers explains processes of self-development which was derived from in-depth conversations with clients in therapy.
what is the nomothetic approach?
Aims to study human behaviour through the development of general principles and universal laws. Seeks general laws through statistical analysis and large-scale studies.
Is nomothetic research qualitative or quantitative?
QUANTITATIVE = seeks to identify general laws and patterns across the population. Methods such as experiments, surveys and statistical analysis to measure variables objectively and produce generalisable findings.
what are some nomothetic examples in psychology?
Behaviourist and biological approaches = eg Skinner studied animals to develop general laws of learning. Sperry’s split-brain research involved repeated testing and was the basis of understanding hemispheric lateralisation.
which approach is objective / subjective?
nomothetic = objective = laws of behaviour are possible if methods of assessment are delivered in a standardised way = ensures true replication occurs across samples
idiographic = subjective = people’s individual experience of unique context is important.
evaluate the idiographic approach.
+ uses in-depth qualitative methods of investigation providing a global description of the individual.
+ A single case can generate a hypothesis for further study. eg HM case study = idiographic approach may still help form scientific laws of behaviour
- findings are narrow and difficult to generalise without more examples
- lack of comparison baselines makes meaningful generalisations problematic.
- case studies rely on subjective interpretation = are prone to bias and are less scientific.
evaluate the nomothetic approach.
+ use scientific processes such as standardisation, control and statistical testing increases psychology’s status as a science.
- accused of losing the whole person eg schizophrenia risk rates may not capture personal lived experiences.
- May fail to relate to subjective experiences, which could be useful for treatment development.
