Discuss free will and determinism

Question 1

Outline free will

Answer 1

All human behaviour is affected by our subjective experience and individual choices & these are the only factors that shape our behaviour

Question 2

Outline determinism

Answer 2

Scientific determinism - human behaviour has cause & effect, predictions about behaviour can be objectively measured (change IV for DV)

Rejecting determinism means rejecting psychology. No free will

Biological determinism - all human behaviour is caused by internal bodily activity & only these shape behaviour

Genetic factors (inherited characteristics), brain organisation (structural differences), neurochemistry (chemical levels), evolution (genetically predisposed)

Hard determinism (no free will), soft determinism (some free will)

Question 3

Peel 1

Answer 3

Limitation of determinism is that it can provide an excuse for immoral behaviour

E.g. Stephen Mobley killed a pizza shop manager in 1981 and claimed he was born to kill due to a history of violence in his family

However, this argument was rejected and he was sentenced to death

This suggests hard determinism may be undesirable in a real life setting as it may lead to issues of criminal responsibility

Question 4

Peel 2

Answer 4

Research which challenges the role of free will comes from the area of cognitive neuroscience

This is when an issue is criticised by research evidence

E.g. Libet et Al (1983) recorded activity in Motor regions of the brain, before a person had conscious awareness of the decision to move their finger

However, the brain activity may simply represent a ‘readiness to act’ so, this evidence has been challenged by other researchers.

Question 5

Peel 3

Answer 5

An interactionist approach would give the best explanation of behaviour

This is when it is not possible to separate either debate as they both contribute to behaviour so a combination of the two is the most appropriate in explaining & treating behaviour

This is because an individual’s behaviour would be best explained by both their free-will and also by taking into account the environmental events which may have affected these (determinism)

This highlights the importance of taking an interactionist approach when considering both free will and determinism as they cannot be easily separated.