Nomothetic vs Ideographic

• Nomothetic


  Large and representative sample of participants, with findings generating new laws of behaviours
• Features of Nomothetic:

  • Experimental techniques - controlled experiments, structured observation
  • Quantitative Data
  • Scientific - generalisation, high reliability
• Ideographic


  Individuals subjective experiences, behaviours and personalities; with an attempt to understand cultural, social and environmental context with no generalising
• Features of Ideographic:

  • Non-Experimental Techniques - case studies, content analysis, unstructured interview
  • Qualitative Data
  • Unscientific - unreliable, more valid
• (+/-) A03: Nomothetic


  Easy replication, gathering data precisely and using statistics, enabling generalisation being objective; however general trends may not accurately represent every individual
• (+/-) A03: Ideographic


  Rich and detailed information for more valid perspective, generating new areas of research; however, not generalisable, time-consuming and can lose objectivity due to data techniques