idiographic and nomothetic

• What is an idiographic approach?

  Focus on the individual, and emphasise the unique personal experience of human nature.
• Where does the term idiographic come from?

  Comes from the Greek word 'idios', which means 'own' or 'private
• Which research methods take an idiographic approach?

  Case studies and self-reports
• Why is idiographic research important?

  Idiographic research such as a case study can undermine (disprove) a whole nomothetic theory
• What is a nomothetic approach?

  Concerned with establishing general laws
• What are nomothetic approaches based on?

  The study of large groups of people, and the use of statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data.
• Where does the term nomothetic come from?

  The term ‘nomothetic’comes from the Greek word ‘nomos’ which means ‘law’.
• Which research methods take a nomothetic approach?

  Experiments, observations and correlations
• What is the case for an idiographic approach?

  The case study method is a powerful tool for evaluating psychological theories.
• Provide an example of the case for an idiographic approach.

  Shallice & Warrington (1970) examined Patient KF
• Why was Patient KF a powerful case study for evaluating a psychological theory?

  KF's short-term forgetting of auditory information was greater than his forgetting of visual information, suggesting that STM consists of multiple components. Patient KF undermines the MSM suggesting that STM is not one unitary component
• What is the case against an idiographic approach?

  Many psychologists criticise the idiographic approach for being unscientific. The emphasis on in-depth data collection and the difficulties in arriving at justifiable generalisations contradicts the central purpose of science.
• Provide an example of the case against an idiographic approach.

  Patient KF was an unusual person hence why he was the subject of a case study. Because of his unusual nature, it is difficult to generalise the results which should be the case with scientific research.
• What is the case for a nomothetic approach?

  The nomothetic approach is considered scientific for the use of experimental methods, controlled measurement and the ability to predict behaviour. Controlled methods allow for replication to test the reliability of findings.
• Provide an example of the case for a nomothetic approach.

  Biological Psychologists take a nomothetic approach when explaining psychological disorders, such as OCD and depression. They pinpoint factors, such as neurotransmitters, that are responsible and use drugs to treat all patients. This is more scientific as it is empirical and controlled.
• What is the case against a nomothetic approach?

  Psychologists claim that the nomothetic approaches only provides a superficial understanding of human behaviour.
• Provide an example of the case against a nomothetic approach.

  Milgram's research fail to provide an explanation of why each person obeyed, and there may have been very different circumstances that led to obedience in each participant.