Free Will & Determinism Flashcards
Free Will
Freewill suggests that as human beings, we are self-determining and free to choose our thoughts and actions.
A belief in freewill implies that we are able to reject external forces as we are the masters of our own destiny.
Determinism
Determinism proposes that free will has no place in explaining behaviour.
Hard Determinism
All human behaviour has a cause, and it is always possible to identify these causes.
Assumes that everything we think and do is dictated by external or internal forces we cannot control.
Soft Determinism
Behaviour is caused by a person’s own character or conscious desires.
Biological Determinism
The biological approach emphasises the role of biological determinism.
Many neurological and physiological processes are not controlled by our conscious (e.g. autonomic nervous system)
Environmental Determinism
Skinner described free will as an “illusion” and argued all behaviour is a result of conditioning
We are under the illusion we are acting independently, however all behaviour is down to reinforcement from prior experiences
Psychic Determinism
Psychic determinism claims that human behavior is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives (id, ego and superego), as in Freud’s model of psychological development.
A03 - Free Will (+)
We exercise free choice in our everyday life. Roberts et al (2000)
Adolescents who have strong beliefs of fatalism are at a significantly greater risk of developing depression.
This suggests that even if we don’t have free will, the fact we believe we do may have a positive impact on mental health.
A03 - Determinism (+)
Biological determinism has lead to development of treatments and therapies.
For example, through the research of the effect of neurons and hormones on mental health issues such as depression, we are able to determine the onset of illnesses.
Biological determinism has enabled bio scientists to develop medicine such as SSRIs which assist the brain in blocking the reuptake of serotonin. This provides evidence for the practical value determinism holds
A03 - Determinism (-)
One limitation of determinism is the position of the legal system on responsibility.
In a court of law, offenders are held responsible for their actions.
This goes against hard determinism as it suggests individual choice is not the cause of behaviour.
A03 - Free Will (-)
Brain Scanning
Libet et al (1983) Ppts instructed to choose a random moment to flick their wrist while he measured activity in their brain.
Ppts had to verbally state when they felt the will to move. Libet found the unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision was half a second before the ppt felt like moving
However : Just because the conscious awareness to act comes before the actual act doesn’t mean there was no free decision to act.
This suggests Libet et al is not an appropriate study to challenge free will
