⭐️ free will and determinism✅

Question 1

• definition of free will

- what does free will not deny?

Answer 1

• free will= humans can make choices that aren’t determined by biological or external factors
• doesn’t deny that there are biological or external forces that influence behav. but were able to reflect such forces

Question 2

definition of determinism

what is hard determinism?

what is soft determinism?

who put forward this idea and what did they say?

Answer 2

• behav. is shaped or controlled by int. / ext. forces rather than the will to do something
• hard = forces outside of our control shape our behav.
• soft = behav is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent. some behav. are more constrained than others and that there is an element of free will in all behaviour.
• James put forward the idea and stated behav. has a cause and suggests ppl have a conscious mental control over the way they behave

Question 3

what are the 3 types of determinism?

define them

Answer 3

types of determinism:
1- biological = behav. is caused by bio influences we cant control (genetics). psych. and neurological processes aren’t under conscious control such as the autonomic nervous system. mental disorders are thought to have a bio cases eg; OCD = low serotonin

2- environmental = behav. is caused by the environ. that we cant control (reward and punishment) skinner said free will as an illusion and said al behav. is a result of conditioning. our behav. is shaped by environmental events and agents of socialisation (teachers)

3- psychic = behav. is caused by unconscious conflicts we cant control, repressed in childhood - freud put emphasis on the influence of bio. drives and instincts (psychodynamic)

Question 4

AO3:

✅ 2 strengths

❌ 2 weaknesses

Answer 4

✅ determinism is consistent with he aims of science, human behav. places psychology on an equal with other established sciences, led to the development of treatment - the int. validity is increased

✅ ppl with an internal LOC tend to be more mentally healthy, Roberts demonstrated that adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism were at higher risk of developing depression. this suggests even if we dont have free will, thinking we do may have a positive effect on the mind

❌ hard determinists; ind. choices aren’t the cause of behav. - not consistent with how the legal system operates, in a court of law offenders are held responsible for their actions - dertemnism is an approach is unfalsifiable (impossible to prove wrong) , causes of behav will always exist even if not found

❌ neurological studies of decision making have shown evidence against free will, Libet shown brain activity determines the outcome of simple choices may come before our knowledge of having made such a choice - internal validity of the concept of free will is decreased