⭐️ idiographic and nomothetic approaches✅ Flashcards
what is the idiographic approach? (id =ind.)
what is the nomothetic approach?
focuses on individuals experiences of behav. rather then generalising behav. to. set of laws
studies humans behav. through general laws and principles, generalises everyone
☆ idiographic:
what does it value?
what research method is it linked with?
why is this approach beneficial?
what approach is it linked to?
- values everyone uniqueness, diff. beliefs, values and experiences that shape someones behav.
- case studies on individuals
- gains a greater insight into ppls unique lives and the ways they view the world
- humanistic
☆ nomothetic:
what do these general laws act as?
what research method does it use?
what approach is it linked to ?
- a ‘benchmark’ too which everyone is measured and classified against, its used to to predict and control future behav.
- experiments … studying large group of ppl to see similarities in behav.
- reductionism and determinism
☆ idiographic:
what did rogers and Maslow say?
what is it classes as? why
why is the psychodynamic approach compered idiographic?
- humans were only interested in documenting the conscious experience of the ‘self’
- anti scientific as its based on personal experience
- freud used case studies for his patients
☆ nomothetic:
what is it classed as and why
what are ppl in large groups normally tested for?
what did skinner look at?
- scientific, in controlled lab studys
- their statistical significance
- studied responses hundred of animals such as rats and pigeons to develop there law of learning.
AO3 - idio:
✅ strength
❌ weakness
✅ in depth, qualitative methods that provide a global account of the individual. beneficial as it sheds a light on general laws of behav. by challenging them. a single study may generate a hypothesis for further hypotheses…. eg; Brian damaged ppl (HM) are important for understanding normal and abnormal functioning. internal validity increased
❌ narrow and restricted, many of Freuds key concepts such s the oedipus complex were developed form single studies such as little Hans. generalisations cant be made without further examples, no baseline to compare behav. to. also, case suites aren’t scientific so conclusions rely on subjective interpretation of the researcher, which may be based. int. validity decreased…. cant rly generalise findings from one person to A population
AO3 - nomo:
✅ strength
❌ weakness
✅ more scientific approach, mirroring natural sciences. testing occurs under standardised procedures, using data that provides group averages, statistical analysis, prediction and control…. allowed psych. to establish the ‘normal behav’ … internal validity increased
❌ accused of losing the whole person…. to general, assumes everyone is the same /simialr when there unique
