Free Will and Determinism Flashcards
What is determinism
The idea that behaviour is controlled by external or internal factors acting upon the individual
What is Free Will
The belief that each individual has the power to make choices about their behaviour
What are the forms of determinism
Biological Determinism, Environmental Determinsim, Psychic Determinsim and Scientific Determinism
What is Biological Determinism
Biological Determinism is the belief that behaviour is determined by biological factors like genes, which in turn influence brain structure and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which is often implicated in behaviour such as in the dopamine hypothesis of Sz
What is Environmental Determinism
The behaviourist view of determinism, where all behaviour is caused by previous experience through the processes of classical and operant conditioning. These principles have been applied to may behaviours, such as aggression
What is Psychic Determinism
The Psychodynamic view of determinism, based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality which suggests that adult behaviour is determined by a mix of innate drives and early experinece, which are both internal and external forces. For example if a child is fustrated or overindulged (external forces) at any psychosexual stage of development, the libido remains tied to the relevant erogenous zone and the mothod of obtaining satisfaction from that stage will dominate thier adult personality
What is scientific determinism
The scientific view of determinsim based on the view that all events have a cause (idk)
What forms of determinism are hard and which are soft
Hard- Biological, Environmental and Scientific
Soft - Psychic
What is the humanistic approach to free will
Humanistic psychologists argue that self-determination is an essential part of human behaviour, as without it healthy self-development and self-actualisation are not possible. Rogers claimed that while people are controlled by outside factors they cannot take responsibility and therefore cannot change.
What is moral responsibility
Moral responisbility requires that an individual is in charge of their own actions. The law states that children and the mentally ill do not have this responsibility, but otherwise this assumtion is necessary for people to be accountable for their actions
What is an issue with both genetic and environmental determinism
Neither can be the sole determining factor in behaviour, for example twin studies find 80% similarity on intelligence or 40% on depression, and therefore genes and environment cannot entirely determine behaviour. This means an interactionist approach may better represent reality
Why does the free will/determinism debate matter
There have been attempts in court for murderers to claim that their behaviour was determined by inherited aggressive tendencies and therefore they shouldn’t recieve the death penalty. Stephen Mobley, who killed a pizza shop owner, claimed that he was ‘born to kill’, as evidenced by a familty history of violence. Determinism is also important in in treatment, as for example, if Sz is biological we should target biological solutions.
Why may we only have the illusion of free will
Just being able to choose between different courses of action isn’t free will, but may give us the illusion of having free will. Skinner claimed that a person may ‘choose’ to buy a particular car, but that these choices are determined by previous reinforcement experiences. Furthermore self-determinism may be culturally relative, as collectivist cultures place greater value on beahviour determined by group needs.This suggests that free will is a product of socialisation and not something ‘real’
What has been a research challenge to free will
Libet et al recorded activity in motor areas of the brain before the person had concious awareness of the decision to move their finger. Follow up research confirmed the findings, however some researchers reached a different conclusion, with Trevena and Miller showing that the brain activity was simply a ‘readiness to act’ rather than an intention to move. It therefore seems that for now, neuroscience supports free will
Who killed a pizza shop owner and tried to blame family history for his acts
Stephen Mobely
Who found motor activity in the brain before someone decided to move their finger
Libet
Who suggested that Libet’s findings were wrong
Trevena and Miller
