idiographic and nomothetic approaches Flashcards
the idiographic approach
- focus on the individual and emphasises unique personal experience
- favours qualitative research methods, such as case studies, unstructured interviews and thematic analysis (they allow an in-depth insight)
- don’t seek to formulate laws or generalise results to others
case study: patient kf
- he experienced a motorbike accident
- following this he could remember visual images, but not acoustic information, suggesting the stm consists of multiple components
- patient kf undermines the msm as it suggests the stm isn’t a unitary component
- a case study can highlight flaws within and undermine theories
freud’s use of case studies
- he conducted detailed investigations into his patients lives to help them overcome their psychological disorders
- although freud tried to make generalisations from his case studies, they are still seen as idiographic as each persons disorder derived from their unique experiences
give a strength of an idiographic approach
1/1
the use of a case study is a powerful tool for evaluating psychological theories. for example, the case of patient kf exposed a limitation of the msm, providing evidence that our stm is made of at least 2 components (visual and auditory memory), not 1 as originally proposed. a single case study can lead to further research into a particular phenomenon, such as memory, which then contributes to the development of new theories which further our understanding of behaviour
counter the previous point
although case studies can highlight flaws in psychological theories and lead to further research, the method to conducting them are often highly time consuming. for example, freud’s case study of little hans consisted of almost 150 pages of quotes from his father and detailed descriptions of events in his life. although freud creates universal theories of personality development during childhood, these were based on limited and unrepresentative case studies that would be discredited by multiple psychologists
give a limitation of an idiographic approach
1/1
the idiographic approach lacks the ability to establish general laws or predict human behaviour, limiting its practical value in diagnosing and treating psychological disorders. this is particularly problematic for a field focused on applying scientific knowledge. furthermore, psychologists criticise the idiographic approach as unscientific, its emphasis on in-depth data collection over making justifiable generalisations contradicts the central aim of science to explain phenomena in the simplest manner for prediction and control. research that fails to meet these goals may be classed as scientifically meaningless
counter the previous point
idiographic researchers counter these criticisms by highlighting the evidence-based nature of their descriptions and conclusions, and the critical awareness in research techniques such as reflexivity. they often argue that their findings validity is more reliable than those solely reliant on statistical analysis. as allport noted, it is only by understanding individual cases that psychologists can anticipate how they will behave in certain situations
the nomothetic approach
- establish general laws based on studies of large groups of people
- use statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data, e.g. experiments, correlations, psychometric testing and other quantitative methods
biological psychologists
- take a nomothetic approach when explaining psychological disorders such as depression and ocd
- they implicate biological factors and use biological therapies to treat all patients
behaviourists
pavlov and skinner for example conducted animal studies to establish laws of learning to generalise to humans and other animals
cognitive psychologists
atkinson and shiffrin for example developed general laws like the msm which they believed could be generalised to everyone
social psychologists
milgram and asch for example created general conclusions that situational factors are responsible for obedience and conformity
psychopathology
classification manuals classify people with psychological disorders based on specific symptoms
give a strength of a nomothetic approach
1/2
unlike the idiographic approach, the nomothetic approach is viewed as more scientific. it relies on quantitative methods, controlled measurement and the ability to predict behaviour, all of which are considered strengths. furthermore, its controlled methods allow for replication to assess the reliability of findings, contributing to psychology’s recognition as a scientific discipline. the nomothetic approach utilises the development of theories and empirical testing, which are both key features of science
give a strength of a nomothetic approach
2/2
as the nomothetic approach is viewed as scientific, it aids in predicting and managing behaviour. for example, biological psychologists use this approach to explain ocd, attributing it to elevated dopamine and reduced serotonin levels. drug therapies, like ssri’s, are devised from this research to correct biological imbalances. ssri’s alleviate ocd symptoms by enhancing serotonin levels, reducing associated anxiety and improving quality of life for those with ocd