AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Biological Psychologists take a nomothetic approach when explaining psychological disorders, such as OCD and depression. They typically pinpoint biological factors, such as neurotransmitters, that are responsible for such disorders and use biological therapies (e.g. drugs) to treat all patients.

Detailed explanation-2: -The term ‘nomothetic’ comes from the Greek word ‘nomos’ which means ‘law’. Psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned with establishing general laws, based on the study of large groups of people, and the use of statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data.

Detailed explanation-3: -What topic was the main focus of research for the earliest psychologists and why? Early psychological research focused mainly on sensation because sensation is central to experience and because the early researchers believed that sensation questions were answerable.

Detailed explanation-4: -Nomothetic: The biological approach suggests that humans share similar physiology and that we can make universal laws regarding behaviour. Laboratory experiments are used to generate quantitative data to make generalisations. Scientific: The biological approach promotes scientific methods of investigation.