The Idiographic And Nomothetic Approach

Question 1

define the idiographic approach

Answer 1

focus on the individual as each one is a unique case + uses methods producing qualitative data e.g. case studies, unstructured interviews, open-ended questions, thematic analysis etc. So tests a small number of people (but makes sense within approach)

Question 2

define the nomothetic approach

Answer 2

studies large numbers of people to formulate general universal laws of human behaviour which could allow psychologists to predict and control behaviour. Uses experimental methods producing quantitative data e.g. measures of central tendency and dispersion, correlation coefficients and % and statistical testing.

Question 3

what approach favours the idiographic approach?

Answer 3

humanistic approach ‘anti-scientific’ and focused on unique experience of individual.

Question 4

what approach favours the nomothetic approach?

Answer 4

behaviourist, biological and cognitive approach e.g. skinner studying responses of hundreds of rats to establish laws of conditioning.

Question 5

pro of nomothetic approach: scientific nature

Answer 5

processes uses large-scale testing under standardised conditions + gathering of quantitative data allows general laws to be established whereas idiographic uses qualitative methods so unable to control or replicate so has a unscientific nature.

Question 6

pro of idiographic approach: power of case studies

Answer 6

providing useful insights on individual rather than focus on objective measurement of behaviour which challenges general laws of behaviour e.g. case study on Clive Wearing provided insight about the mind/behaviour that can’t be acquired any other way showing different stores for different types of LTM. This increases validity of psychological research by focusing on real life people within real life contexts.

Question 7

con of nomothetic approach: subjective

Answer 7

usage of large samples, statistical data and generating general laws means participants seen as scores rather than individuals where subjective experience ignored e.g. 1% risk of Sz doesn’t indicate what life is like for sufferers. issue as it overlooks richness and uniqueness of human experience.

Question 8

ao3:false distinction

Answer 8

holt 1967 suggests its a false distinction as many approaches uses both so it should be seen as complementary rather than contradictory e.g. cognitive approach uses nomothetic to establish general laws of cognitive processes e.g. working memory model but uses idiographic approach for collecting evidence e.g. patient KF therefore distinction between two is essentially meaningless and should employ both depending on nature of research question.