Debates Flashcards
1
Q
What is determinism?
A
- Human behaviour of a product of forces beyond the control of the individual.
- People have no control over their actions.
2
Q
What do determinists believe?
A
- Internal and external forces control a person’s behaviour
- Behaviour should be predictable
- Every behaviour has a cause
- Determinism is a scientific account of behaviour
3
Q
What are the 5 types of determinism?
A
- Hard, soft, biological, environmental, psychic
4
Q
What is hard determinism?
A
- No action/behaviour is free
- Every human action has a cause, one action is performed rather than another
5
Q
What is biological determinism?
A
- Biological/internal forces are out of a person’s control
6
Q
What is soft determinism?
A
- Individual’s behaviour is a direct result of the environment
- Element of free will, but controlled by outside forces
7
Q
What is environmental determinism?
A
- External forces are out of a person’s control
8
Q
What is psychic determinism?
A
- All behaviours are the result and determined by unconscious forces linked with childhood and innate drives
9
Q
What are some strengths of determinism?
A
- More scientific, predictable (interventions - preventable)
- Society would approve, can set up interventions
- Isolates variables
10
Q
What are some limitations of determinism?
A
- Doesn’t take into account free-will
- Won’t take responsibility, will say it’s out of their control
- Society believes in choice
- Implies behaviour can be predicted
- Doesn’t take into account individual differences
11
Q
What is free-will?
A
- An individual’s ability to choose between certain behaviours
12
Q
What are some strengths of free-will?
A
- More likely to take responsibility, had a choice
- Society believes in choice
13
Q
What are some limitations of free-will?
A
- Doesn’t take into account determinism
- Less scientific, harder to predict.
- Implies behaviour can’t be predicted
14
Q
What is nature?
A
- Behaviour can be inherited or down to internal factors like genetics
15
Q
What is nurture?
A
- Behaviour can be changed by external factors such as childhood, friends, etc.
16
Q
What are some strengths of nature?
A
- Too deterministic, more predictable
- Too reductionist, scientific, objective measures
- Takes dispositional factors into account
17
Q
What are some limitations of nature?
A
- Doesn’t take into account nurture
- Less likely to take responsibility for their actions
- Ignores situational factors
18
Q
What are some strengths of nurture?
A
- Can change behaviour
- Takes situational factors into account
19
Q
What are some limitations of nurture?
A
- Doesn’t take into account nature
- Not scientific, lacks objectivity
- Ignores dispositional factors
- Too reductionist, only external factors
20
Q
What is reductionism?
A
- Reduces behaviour down to 1 or 2 factors
21
Q
What is holism?
A
- Behaviour can be down to multiple factors
22
Q
What are some strengths of reductionism?
A
- Scientific, predictability, objective measures
- Takes determinism into account
23
Q
What are some limitations of reductionism?
A
- Doesn’t take into account holism
24
Q
What are some strengths of holism?
A
- Takes free-will into account
25
What are some limitations of holism?
- Doesn't take into account reductionism
- Less scientific, lacks objectivity, can't predict
26
What is individual?
- Behaviour is a result of the individual
27
What is situational?
- Behaviour is a result of the situation
28
What are some strengths of individual?
- More scientific
- Takes into account nature (internal factors)
29
What are some limitations of individual?
- Doesn't take situational factors into account
- Lower in ecological validity
30
What are some strengths of situational?
- Higher in ecological validity
- Takes into account nurture (external factors)
31
What are some limitations of situational?
- Doesn't take individual factors into account
- Doesn't take unique characteristics into account
