The nomothetic and idiographic approaches to the study of individual differences and individuality are reviewed. The underlying assumptions of each approach are distinguished and then reconstructed to give eight different conceptual perspectives for the study of individual behavior. It is argued that the traditional nomothetic and idiographic techniques are limited to one or two of these perspectives while computer simulation provides the capability to deal with all of these conceptualizations and hence is a more powerful methodology. Two perspectives in particular are singled out for special consideration in order to demonstrate the value of computer simulation in the study of individual behavior. A number of potential applications of such computer models to educational research are discussed.
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