Ideographic and Nomotheric approaches

What is an ideographic view?

everyone is unique and therefore must be studied in an individual way to capture the richness of human individuality. no general laws are possible because of chance, free will and uniquness of individual.

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What is a Nomotheic view?

focuses on general laws of behaviour. involves studying a large number of people trying to understand why they behave in similar ways in situations. uses scientific quantatative data - experiments/observations.

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What are the features/methods of investigation ideographic approach uses?

Concerned with private, subjective and conscious experiences of the individual. Qualitative data, investigating individuals in personal/detailed way. methods or research:Case study, Unstructured interviews, self reports, personal documents.

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What are the features/methods of investigation nomothetic approaches?

concerned with objective knowledge. scientific and quantatative data. usually experiments and observations.

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What are the three general laws a nomothetic approach follows?

Classifying people into groups e.g. DSM-IV classifies those suffering from psychological disorders. Establishing principles of behaviour that can be applied to people in general. Establishing dimensions on which people can be placed.

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What are strengths of an ideographic approach?

provides more complete global understanding of the individual. Satisfys key aims of science. its findings can serve as a source of hypothesis for later study.

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Limitations of ideographic approach?

Generalisations cannot be made to wider population, Methods of research tend to be subjective/unstructured causing problem for analysis, replication prediction + control of behaviour. regarded as unscientific.

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Strengths of nomathetic approach?

regarded as scientific. scientific principles feature in the nomathetic approach: precise measurment, prediction and control of behaviour, investigations involving large groups, objective controlled methods allow replication and generalisation.

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Limitations of nomothetic approach?

predictions may not apply to every person, looses sight of the 'whole person'. gives superficial understanding. 2 people may have same score on test of intellegence but may have got that score in different ways.

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why does it make sense for the ideographic/nomathetic approaches to work together?

the two approaches can be complimentary. ideographic approach can shed further light on a general law of behaviour established through nomathetic approach. ideographic can also unearth issues which can then be explored through nomothetic approach.

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how can both approaches contribute to the scientific approach?

ideographic is more suited to description and understanding of behaviour, the nomathetic to prediction and control of behaviour.

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What approach does biological take?

Mainly nomathetic - biological influences apply generally to all. However, the ideographic approach can complement the nomathetic approach - single cases can be informative.

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What approach does Behaviourist take?

Nomothetic - general principles, identified using laboratory experiments applied to all organisms.

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What approach does SLT take?

Nomothetic - Establishment of general laws or principles on behaviour.

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What approach does cognitive take?

Mostly nomathetic - seeking to discover general principles/theories of cognitive processing but also used ideographic techniques.

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What approach does psychodynamic take?

Case study method is ideographic yet freuds theory of personallity was applied to all - and is thus nomathetic.

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What approach does humanism take?

Idiographic - emphaises on uniquness of the individual.

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Ideographic and Nomotheric approaches

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