Idiographic/nomothetic AO3

In depth (+)

• Idiographic approaches allow for an in-depth account of an individual’s traits and behaviour

• E.g. the use of qualitative methods such as case studies, allow researchers to build up a more accurate picture of an individual’s behaviour, that coulc help refine theories

• e.g. Clive Wearing

Nomothetic - Highly scientific (+)

• E.g. lab experiments such as milgram’s shock study use standardised procedures and attempt to control extraneous variables making them easy to replicate

• This control over extraneous variables also increases the internal validity of research, making it easier to establish cause and effect

• Theories based on these methods have greater scientific credibility than those based on idiographic approaches

Nomothetic - applications

• Establishing norms and general laws of behaviour allows psychologists to make predictions about future behaviours and potentially to create interventions to address these behaviours. As a result, nomothetic approaches can be useful in addressing certain behaviours

Nomothetic undervalues subjective experiences (-)

• General laws developed using nomothetic approaches may actually lack application when trying to explain or predict individual's behaviour

• In the search for generalities, the nomothetic approach may overlook the richness of human experience, which many argue is crucial when trying to understand human behaviour

• It could be that human behaviour is too complex to establish general laws and that people have to be viewed as individuals if behaviour is to make any sense