Understanding the Psychological Study of a Single Case
The question asks for the term used in psychology to describe the study of an individual or a single case.
Defining Psychological Approaches
Different research approaches exist in psychology:
- Normative approach: Focuses on establishing norms and averages across groups.
- Idiographic approach: Focuses on the intensive study of a single individual or case to understand unique characteristics and experiences.
- Longitudinal approach: Tracks changes and development in the same subjects over an extended period.
- Holophrastic approach: Primarily relates to language development, where a single word conveys a complex meaning.
Identifying the Correct Approach
The description "psychological study of the single case" directly aligns with the definition of theidiographic approach. This method emphasizes depth and detail for one specific subject, rather than breadth across many.
Therefore, the psychological study focusing on a single case is termed the idiographic approach.