Free will and determinism Flashcards
What is free will?
The notions that humans have the power to make choices about their behaviour
What is determinism?
The notion that behaviour is controlled by internal and external factors acting upon the individual
What is hard determinism?
The view that all behaviour an be predicted and there is no free will
What is soft determinism?
The view that human behaviour has causes but it can also be determined by our conscious choices
What is biological determinism?
The belief that our behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cannot control
What is environmental determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment that we cannot control
What is psychic determinism?
The belief that behaviour is cause by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control
What is reciprocal determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by the environment, individual characteristics and behaviour (Bandura)
Which approaches are deterministic. Hard/Soft, Bio/Envi/Psych/Rec
Behaviourist- hard/ environmental
Social learning theory- soft/ reciprocal
Cognitive- soft
Biological- hard/ biological
Psychodynamic- hard/psychic
Which approaches believe in free will?
Humanism
What is the strength of determinism?
Scientific- It is consistent with the aims of science. It promotes the idea that human behaviour is orderly and obeys laws, which places psychology on equal footing with other more established sciences. this prediction of control of human behaviour has led to the development of treatments, therapies and behavioural interventions that have benefitted many. E.G psychotherapeutic drug treatment in controlling schizophrenia
What are the 2 limitations of determinism?
Not consistent with legal system- Hard determinism views that an individuals choice is not the cause of behaviour but this is not consistent with the way in which our legal system operates. in a court of law offenders are held morally accountable for their actions and so directly goes against determinism. This causes issues around whether criminals should be held accountable for their crimes. E.G Stephan Mobley who murdered a dominos manager. He claimed he was for to kill due to evidence of family history, According to the determinist approach Stephan should not have been convicted of his crime. this rises moral and ethical concerns.
Genetic vs Environmental determinism- Neither genetic nor environmental determinism can be the sole determining factor in behaviour. E.G studies that compare identical twins find about 80% similarity on intelligence- if one twin has a high IQ there is only an 80% chance that the other twin will have the same. Genes don’t entirely determine behaviour, but neither does the environment. This means that an interactionist retailer than deterministic approach better represents reality
What is the strength of free will?
Has face validity- Everyday experiences gives the impression that we are constantly exercising free will through the choices we make everyday. It makes cognitive sense. The fact we think we have free will over our choices has a positive impact on mind and behaviour. E.G research suggests that people who have an Internal LOC tend to be more mentally healthy. Roberts et al. (200)- adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism were at significantly greater risk of developing depression.
What is the limitation of free will?
Challenging research- Let et al.(1985) found that the activity related to whether to press a button with the left of right had occurs in the brain up to 10 seconds before ptpts report being consciously aware of making the decision. Suggesting even our most basic experiences of free will could be determined by our brain before we become aware of it.
Counter- Other researchers have done similar studies and reached a different conclusion. E.G Trevena and Miller (2009) showed tat the brain activity was simply ‘readiness to act’ rather than an intention to move.
