Idiographic and Nomothetic Flashcards
(13 cards)
AO3 idiographic
- A negative implication of idiographic research is that it is ungeneralisable
- For example, Clive Wearing
- How its ungeneralisable
- Focuses on only the individual
- Nomothetic explains the whole population but not a certain person
- Idiographic also lead to treatment, client centred therapy, Rogers
- A … implication of nomothetic/idiographic is that both approaches fit the aims of science
- Idiographic unscientific
- Qualitative data
- Rich data
- Negative implication advocating for both
AO3 nomothetic
- Nomothetic explains the whole population but not a certain person
- Nomothetic loses sense of person because over relies on quantitative methods, just percentages and methods
- Positive implication of Nomothetic – scientific method
- Bobo doll
AO3 (1) idiographic and nomothetic
- A negative implication of idiographic research is that it is ungeneralisable
- For example, idiographic research only focuses on a singular individual instead of a whole population.
- This is a negative implication because it can only be used to explain behaviour in a single person and cannot be used to describe a whole population thus reducing the effectiveness of idiographic research
- However, it can be argued that idiographic research has led to practical treatment with client centred therapy which has been successful therefore increasing reliability
- Despite this, this negative implication may encourage less psychologists to utilise this side of the debate, minimising its utility
- A negative implication of nomothetic research is that it is ungeneralisable
- For example, nomothetic research focuses on a whole population rather than a single individual
- This is a negative implication because it can only be used to explain behaviour for a whole population instead on individual cases thus reducing the effectiveness of nomothetic research
- However, it can be argued that nomothetic research has led to practical treatments like SSRIs which has been successful therefore increasing its reliability.
- Despite this, this negative implication may encourage less psychologists to utilise this side of the debate, minimising its utility
What is the idiographic approach in psychology?
A: A method focusing on the individual and their unique experiences. It uses qualitative, subjective data such as case studies and unstructured interviews.
Q: Which psychological approaches use the idiographic method?
Humanistic Approach – e.g. Maslow’s hierarchy, Roger’s therapy
Psychodynamic Approach – e.g. Freud’s case study of Little Hans
Q: What is the nomothetic approach in psychology?
A: It seeks to create general laws of behaviour using objective, quantitative methods (e.g. lab experiments, structured questionnaires).
Q: Which psychological approaches use the nomothetic method?
Biological – e.g. genes, neurotransmitters (CDH13, MAOA)
Behaviourist – e.g. Skinner’s operant conditioning
Cognitive – e.g. PET/EEG scans of mental processes
Psychodynamic (partly) – psychosexual stages
Q: What is the interactionist approach?
A: A combination of idiographic and nomothetic methods — understanding individual uniqueness while also forming general laws.
Q: What is quantitative data?
Q: What is quantitative data?
A: Data in numerical form — used in nomothetic research (e.g. scores, statistics, experimental results).
Q: What is qualitative data?
A: Descriptive, non-numerical data — used in idiographic research (e.g. interviews, case studies).
Q: What does “objective” mean in psychology research?
A: Free from bias and personal opinion — based on observable and measurable facts.
Q: What does “subjective” mean in psychology research?
A: Influenced by personal opinions, feelings, and perspectives — often associated with idiographic approaches
Q: What is meant by “debate” in psychology?
A: An ongoing discussion about different perspectives on a topic (e.g. idiographic vs nomothetic, nature vs nurture).
