Idiographic & Nomothetic

• Define the nomothetic side of the debate

  A nomothetic approach involves studying a sample in order to formulate general laws / principles of behaviour
• what methods does a nomothetic approach use

  Quantitative methods- lab experiments, structured questionnaires, statistical analyses
• why is the nomothetic approach objective ?

  Aims to understand behaviour through unbiased, standardised methods than can be replicated and results generalised
• Define the idiographic side of the debate

  The idiographic approach focuses on understanding individuals, emphasising their unique experiences
• what methods does the idiographic approach use

  Qualitative methods - case studies, unstructured interviews
• Why is the idiographic approach subjective

  Aims to understand the unique subjective experience of the individual person, rather than uncovering general laws
• Is the Cognitive approach idiographic or nomothetic? Why?

  Mainly nomothetic

  • aims to uncover universal cognitive processes that apply to all humans
  • researchers look for general principles or patterns of thinking
  • there are idiographic elements e.g. when cognitive psychologists explore how unique experiences or neuropsychological conditions (brain injury) influence cognitive functioning
• Is the biological approach nomothetic or idiographic? Why?

  Nomothetic

  • emphasises that all humans share certain biological mechanisms like brain structure and genetic inheritance
  • large sample, quantitative research methods e.g. twin studies or brain imaging studies
• Is the behaviourist approach nomothetic or idiographic? Why?

  • Nomothetic
  • seeks to uncover general laws of behaviour that can be applied universally e.g. classical and operant conditioning
  • controlled lab experiments with a large sample
• Is the psychodynamic approach idiographic or nomothetic? Why?

  Mainly idiographic

  • Freud uses case studies of his patients to understand human behaviour e.g. little hans
  • Emphasises unique influence of early childhood experiences and repressed memories
  • Claimed he has identified universal laws of behaviour and personality development however theses are still idiographic because they were drawn from unique experiences
• Is the humanistic approach idiographic or nomothetic? Why?

  Idiographic

  • concerned with investigating unique experiences rather than producing general laws of behaviour
  • rogers emphasised that each person experiences and feelings should be understood in the context of their unique life circumstances
• Limitations of the nomothetic approach

  • cannot find out rich / in-depth information about single cases
  • Less meaningful as tends to use quantitative methods