Issues & Debates - Idiographic & Nomothetic

Question 1

Outline the idiographic approach

Answer 1

Psychologists who take an idiographic approach focus on the individual and emphasise the unique personal experience of human nature.

Question 2

Outline the nomothetic approach

Answer 2

Psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned with establishing general laws, based on the study of large groups of people.

Question 3

Methods of investigation with idiographic approach

Answer 3

• Case studies
• Unstructured interviews

Not looking to formulate rules

Question 4

Example of idiographic approach

Answer 4

Case of KF who got into a motorbike accident. His STM was worse with auditory information than visual information, showing that there must be multiple components in the STM.
This undermines the MSM of memory.

Question 5

Methods of investigation with nomothetic approach

Answer 5

• Experiments
• Correlational research

Question 6

Examples of nomothetic approach - biological

Answer 6

The biological approach pinpoints biological factors such as neurotransmitters in causing disorders like OCD, and uses drug therapies to treat all patients.

Question 7

Evaluate nomothetic approach - universality

Answer 7

The nomothetic approach lacks awareness of individual and unique perspectives because it assumes that universal laws of behaviour apply to everyone. Likewise, cultural and gender differences may not be considered in nomothetic methods.