Free Will and Determinism

Question 1

Determinism

Answer 1

• The view that human behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces and free will is an illusion
• Behaviour always has a cause and is therefore predictable

Question 2

Causal explanations

Answer 2

• One of the basic principles of science is that everything has a cause and therefore can be predictable
• Scientific research is therefore heavily determinist in its use of causal explanations

Question 3

Hard determinism

Answer 3

• The view that forces outside of our control shape our behaviour and free will is an illusion

Question 4

Soft determinism

Answer 4

• The view that behaviour is constrained by environmental biological forces but only to a certain extent and there is an element of free will in behaviour

Question 5

Biological determinism

Answer 5

• The idea that human behaviour is innate and determined by biological influences such as genetics

Question 6

Environmental determinism

Answer 6

• Behaviour is caused by external forces such as previous experience and learning through classical and operant conditioning

Question 7

Psychic determinism

Answer 7

• Claims behaviour is the result of innate drives and unconscious conflicts

Question 8

Free will

Answer 8

• The notion that humans have an active role and can make choices about how they behave
• Behaviour is not determined by internal or external forces

Question 9

The scienfitic emphasis on causal explanations

Answer 9

• All events have a cause
• Knowledge of causes and the formulation of causal laws allow scientists to predict behaviour
• Lab experiments allow for an independent variable to be manipulated and observe the causal effect on a deoendent variable
• Extraneous variables are able to be contrilled which can enable psychologists to precidelt predict human behaviour

Question 10

Types of hard determinism

Answer 10

• Biological determinism
• Environmental determinism
• Psychic determinism

Question 11

The biological approach

Answer 11

• Biological determinism
• Family studies evidence a genetic vulnerability for developing psychological disorders such as OCD
• Nedast et al reviewed twin studies and found high concordance rates in identical twins demonstrating the role of genetics in causing OCD

Question 12

The psychodynamic approach

Answer 12

• Psychic determinism
• Human behaviour is directed by innate drives and unconscious conflicts repressed from childhood
• Freud claimed that child development occurs in 5 stages each marked by different conflict that the child must resolve
• If the child has unresolved conflict then this leads to fixation and the child can carry associated behaviours through to adult life

Question 13

The behaviourist approach

Answer 13

• Environmental determinism = the view that behaviour is determined by our expereince
• BF Skinner proposed that free will is an illusion and all behaviour is a result of conditioning, behaviour can also be shaped by socialisation
• Behaviourist approach: two process model suggest phobias are acquired and maintained through conditioning
• Watson and Raynor illustrated this in their study of little Albert which showed the acqusition of a fear response through classical conditioning

Question 14

Humanistic psychologists

Answer 14

• Argue agaisnt determinism and claims human have self-determinism and free will and therefore behaviour cannot be a result of any single cause
• Roberts and Maslow believe individuals are in control of their behaviou and are trying to achieve personal growth