nomothetic vs idiographic Flashcards
what is meant by the idiographic approach
derived from the greek word ‘idios’ meaning ‘private or personal’
focuses more on the individual case as a means of understanding behaviour rather than aiming to formulate general laws of behaviour
interested in people as unique entities, each with their own subjective experiences, motivations and values
what are examples of idiographic data collection methods?
case study
self-report - questionnaires with open-ended questions or interviews
natural observation
participant observations
\+ in depth - qualitative unique questionnaires easily sent higher ecological validity less likely to respond to demand characteristics
- presence of an interviewer creates pressure and may affect results
cannot be generalised and therefore limited
questionnaire relies on honesty and literacy skills
takes longer to analyse data in qualitative data
harder to identify trends
natural observation - no control over variables
expensive to train interviewers
Case studies are useful in testing theories, they do not add much weight to theories but one case study can show flaws and potentially argue that a theory is wrong due to the idea that theories should accomodate for all.
what is the nomothetic approach
derived from the greek word ‘nomos’ meaning law
this approach attempts to study human behaviour through the development of general principles and universal laws
provide a benchmark against which people can be easily compared, classified and measured and on the basis of which, likely behaviour can be predicted and/or controlled
what are the three types of general laws?
classification - idea that ppl can be classified into specific groups by characteristics, attitudes or behaviour
- foundation on which diagnostics for mental health are based upon e.g. ICD10 and DSM-5 - both attempting to diagnose people bases on symptoms present
establishing principles - focus is on trying to establish laws and principles that can be applied to human behaviour. Thorndike for example is known for his proposed law of effect which underpins operant conditioning and inspired Skinner. Theories like this are often weakened though by one case study which it does not apply to.
establishing dimensions - attempt to document continuums upon which pps can be placed. Allows comparison with others and facilitates scientific measurement. The focus is upon establishing dimensions widely used in personality research where we have a certain level of trait and variation in levels of trait influence behaviour.
