idiographic/nomothetic

• idiographic approach

  • sees individual as unique, with own subjective experiences and values
  • associated with methods that produce qualitative data (written) such as case studies, self-report methods and unstructured interviews
  • aim to gain insight into person's unique way of viewing the world
  • Topic - humanistic approach - takes 'idiographic perspective', Rogers + Maslow documented conscious experience of the self, described as 'anti-scientific', more concerned on unique experience other than creating general laws of behaviour
• nomothetic approach

  • aim to produce general laws of human behaviour
  • associated with methods that produce large amounts of quantitative data (experiments)
  • involves large samples of people, establish the ways we are similar and different from one another.
  • uses random sampling to give more representative sample
  • Topic - Skinner (rats) in order to develop laws in learning. Hypothesis are tested, statistically analysed and general laws and principles are proposed and developed
• :( idiographic - lacks internal validity due to absence of scientific methods as uses self-report methods whereas nomothetic approaches empirical methods such as lab and controlled observations. Lower credibility of idiographic approach
• :) in depth qualitative methods - rich data. focuses on the individual and their unique experience. case study of Clive Wearing gave valuable insight into brain damaged individuals and amnesia and giving us supporting how our memory has separate stores. whereas nomothetic large samples and therefore cannot find out in-depth/rich information about single cases.