Idiographic and nomothetic approach

What is the idiographic approach?

A methodology which focuses on the uniqueness of the individual.

1 of 20

What research methods would be used in an idiographic approach?

Cases studies, unstructured interviews, self-reports.

2 of 20

What data would be generated by an idiographic approach?

Qualitative- can be turned into quantitative using content analysis.

3 of 20

4 strenghts of the idiographic approach

1. individual feels valued and unique, which enhances their self-esteem, provides a complete, global understanding of the individual, can serve as ideas for later hypothesis, can discover and look deeper into rare behaviours

4 of 20

3 limitations of the idiographic approach

non-scientific, cannot be observed via the senses (not empirical), results cannot be generalised to the general population because of individual diffs and subjective interpretations by researcher, largely ignores biological basis of behaviour

5 of 20

The nomothetic approach focuses on

similarities individuals, establishing patterns of human behaviour

6 of 20

These two methods are used in the nomothetic approach and this is the type of data produced by such an approach

Experiments and observation and data: quantitative

7 of 20

The nomothetic approach has three laws/kinds:

1. classifying people into groups, establishing principles, establishing dimensions

8 of 20

An example of "classifying people into groups"

DSMIV checklist for classifying people with mood disorders

9 of 20

An example of "establishing principles"

behaviourist laws- stimulus-response links (environmentally reductionist)

10 of 20

An example of "establishing dimensions"

Eysenck's personality inventory

11 of 20

Strenghts of nomothetic approach

generalisability due to large sample size, scientific and empirical, combines aspects of both biological and social psychology

12 of 20

Limitations of the nomothetic approach

Looses focus on the individual, not holistic,does not know motivations behind behaviour because individuals might act the same, but diff things could motivate them, predictions about groups may not be applied to individuals themselves,lab experiment

13 of 20

If nomothetic and idiographic approaches were considered together, you would get an _______________approach

interactionist

14 of 20

Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation is an example of ___________---approach

nomothetic

15 of 20

Psychodynamic approach is idiographic because it uses which method

case studies

16 of 20

Humanistic approach and case studies on memory are this approach

idiographic

17 of 20

Idiographic and nomothetic together could _________each other

Complement- idiographic can further develop to a nomothetic law

18 of 20

Both idiographic and nomothetic approaches are scientific because

Idiographic- descriptions, nomothetic- predictions

19 of 20

Which methodology is used depends on

the purpose of the research

20 of 20

Get Revising

Idiographic and nomothetic approach

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Back

Card 3

Front

Back

Card 4

Front

Back

Card 5

Front

Back

Comments

Similar Psychology resources: