Idiographic VS Nomothetic Flashcards
What does the idiographic approach focus on?
Individuals and uniqueness
Is the idiographic approach qualitative and quantitative?
Qualitative
Why is the idiographic approach qualitative?
It focuses on gaining insights into human behaviour by studying unique individuals in detail, using qualitative research methods.
Give 3 examples of qualitative research methods?
Unstructured interviews, case studies + thematic analysis
Which approach favours the idiographic approach?
Humanistic approach
How did Freud use the idiographic approach in his psychodynamic approach?
Used case studies as support for psychoanalysis
How does the nomothetic approach explain human behaviour?
It seeks to formulate general laws of behaviour based on the study of groups.
Is the nomothetic approach quantitative or qualitative?
Quantitative
How does the biological approach adopt a nomothetic approach?
It seeks to portray basic, generalisable laws of how the brain works
Which two behaviourist processes undertake a nomothetic approach?
Classical + Operant conditioning
What are the 4 AO3 points for the idiographic-nomothetic debate?
1) Focus on the individual
2) Lack of scientific method
3) Time consuming
4) Inability to make conclusions
Why were humanistic psychologists critical of psychology in the 20th century?
They felt that too much emphasis was placed on measurement + that psychology had lost sight of what it meant to be human
What did Allport suggest about behaviour?
That it is only by knowing the person as an individual that we can predict what that person will do in a situation
Why are idiographic approaches unscientific?
As they don’t use objective measures
Why is the idiographic approach more time consuming than the nomothetic approach
As great amounts of qualitative data must be collected about one person
