EVALs Idiographic and Nomothetic

• Eval points for Idiographic and Nomothetic

  • S - Idiographic - indepth data and helps us learn from individual cases
  • W - Idiographic - Despite being indepth, methods like case studies tend to be less scientific
  • W - Nomothetic - While being pre-occupied with coming up with general laws, it tends to lose the "whole person's" experience within an investigation
  • S - Nomothetic - It's scientific nature leads to practical applications
• S - idiographic - provides in depth data and helps us learn from individual cases. For example, idiographic case studies like Clive Wearing, provide better and in depth understanding of memory functioning. Nomothetic methods would rule out one off cases that don't fit the norm as anomalies. In doing so ...
• (S - idiographic - indepth + individual cases)... In doing so, nomothetic methods are missing out on research opportunities to learn from such cases which might provide rare evidence which disproves existing theories. Whereas, idiographic methods would study such cases believing they can provide great insight. Thus idiographic approaches' willingness to study individuals as unique meaningful entities leads them to valuable conclusions.
• W - idiographic - despite being in depth, methods like case studies tend to be less scientific. This is bc psych today is driven to have findings that have external validity. IAs' insistence on not creating generalisable findings is not in line with the scientific direction psych is taking. Furthermore, as the IA's use methods like case studies, researchers work closely with the subject and may end up forming a bond with the subject. This could cause ...
• (W - idiographic - less scientific)... This could cause the research to be biased and subjective in their interpretation of the subject's behaviour. As this is reducing objectivity of results, makes case studies less scientific. Decreases credibility
• W - nomothetic - while being pre-occupied with coming up with general laws, it tends to lose the "whole person's" experience within an investigation. For example, NA informs us of general laws like statistical prevalence of schizophrenia is 1% lifetime development risk. This gives us a limited understanding of what the experience of schizophrenia is like. Thus in searching for generalities within behaviour, NAs lose the ability to appreciate the richness of human behaviour. Therefore NAs tend to provide incomplete explanations
• S - nomothetic - scientific nature leads to practical applications. Nomothetic methods tend to use qualitative methods. These methods lead to objectivity e.g. through statistical analysis, which leads to objective conclusions e.g. the idea that a typical IQ is around 100. Such objective conclusions can have practical applications. Knowing what is typical behaviour also informs us of what is objectively atypical behaviour. This allows for objective diagnostic criteria e.g. the idea that an IQ around 70 is indicative of IDD. Increases in credibility and utility