Idiographic and Nomothetic
Idiographic
Psychologists who take an idiographic approach focus on the individual and focus on the unique personal experience of human nature.
E.g. case studies, unstructured interviews, open questions, thematic analysis.
These methods are not looking at individual experiences and not trying to make laws for everyone.
Both the cognitive and psychodynamic approach use idiographic studies (Clive Wearing, Little Hans) to prove a nomothetic theory.
The humanist approach is completely idiographic as it is person centred.
Nomothetic
Psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned with establishing general laws based on the study of large groups of people.
E.g. meta analysis, experiments, correlations, questionnaires, psychometric testing.
These methods are trying to be scientific and create theories and general laws about behaviour.
The biological and the behaviourist approach as well as SLT are all nomothetic.
The cognitive and psychodynamic approach use nomothetic laws.
Idiographic Evaluation
Case studies can help to increase understanding of human behaviour. Clive Wearing and KF allowed cognitive theorists to make models and assumptions on how memory works.
Nomothetic Evaluation
Can be used to suggest further areas of research.
Methods are realistic and have high ecological validity, they also allow for more depth.
We cannot generalise findings meaning studies can be very time consuming and realistically turn out to be not very useful.
Research may be unscientific, relies on qualitative data which means it may be subjective and open to bias.
Can be used to create general laws of behaviour e.g. widely accepted general laws in plasticity and memory.
More scientific due to quantitative data. High level of control and predictions about behaviour can be made.
May lose sight of the 'whole person' so cannot explain why all individuals act the way they do - can be superficial.