nomothetic v ideographic Flashcards
who does ideographic approach aim to research
the unique, personal and subjective experience of the individual
emphasis on subjective experience
who does the nomothetic approach aim to research
groups of people (usually large sample sizes) to be able to generalize the findings
quantitative findings
what does this then do with the findings
seek to apply general laws of behavior
how are people studied
controlled conditions (e.g. lab experiments) taking a more scientific approach
how are people studied in ideographic research (a method)
Methods such as case studies and interviews are a feature of idiographic research as they treat people as unique rather than as one element of a larger population
qualitive data
whats an example from cognitive of ideographic research
case of HM
Psychologists studied his specific experiences, rather than using large sample sizes to look for general patterns
wasn’t about stats or averages, but about understanding his personal, lived experience of memory loss.
who applied an ideographic study to help create theories about gender
freud
what was an example of this
little hans and dora
what did he do
Conducted in-depth interviews, analyzed dreams, slips of the tongue, and free associations.
His goal was to understand the unique inner world of each person.
what did he generalize
psychosexual stages
used studies as a foundation to his uncovering of oedipus complex and electra complex attitudes to explain development of gender identity in children
whats an example of nomothetic research in social psyc
asch- 123 male pp
whys this nomothetic
Asch wanted to find out how and why people conform, aiming to uncover universal principles of social behavior. He wasn’t just interested in individual stories- he wanted patterns.
Results were measured numerically — e.g., 36.8% conformity rate across trials.
what is a strength of the ideographic approach
provides a comprehensive, global understanding of the individual
level of detail can lead to better insight into the complex and multi-layered nature of individual experience helping them in their situation that’s subjective to them
whats evidence of this in humanist approach
inform therapies designed to suit individual needs e.g. Roger’s client-centered approach
connects therapist to individual so they can understand their experience more
what can we conclude from this
practical implications in aiding recovery
helps counselors tailor treatment to the individual, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model.
especially important in areas like trauma, anxiety, or personality disorders, where context matters.
whats a weakness of this
tend to be subjective which means that the researcher may be prone to various forms of bias
what are 2 examples of these biases
researcher bias - the researcher becomes overly involved in the research and loses their objectivity and impartiality
confirmation bias - the researcher looks for examples of behavior/experience which align with their pre-existing ideas
what can we conclude from this
research may lack credibility
If the researcher becomes too emotionally or personally involved, they might interpret the data in a way that fits their expectations or overlook important details. This can distort the findings and make them more a reflection of the researcher than the actual person being studied.
hard to see the conclusions as objective or replicable.
whats a strength of nomothetic
uses science- research is empirical
objective measurements so subjective bias is reduced through standardized methods and measurements
whats an example of this from memory (ewt)
Loftus and Palmer
Aimed to uncover general laws about how leading questions affect memory
The study collected measurable, numerical results (e.g. estimated speed in mph), which is the definition of empirical- data gathered through observation or experiment.
“Contacted” group: avg. speed estimate = 31.8 mph
This measurable, quantitative data supports the idea that language affects memory — a generalizable conclusion = nomothetic.
what can we conclude form this
standardized procedures
means studies can be replicated easily to test for reliability- the consistency of the findings over time or across researchers.
providing stronger confidence in conclusions
whats a weakness of nomothetic research
samples in psychological research are not always large enough from which to generate laws of behaviour
whats an example of this (think social)
Milgram’s (1963) obedience study used only 40 male participants so it would be unwise to state that this sample and the study findings are at widely generalizable
what can be concluded from this
Small, non-representative samples can lead to low population validity -meaning the findings may not apply broadly to all people due to a lack of representation
