Free Will & Determinsim Flashcards
What is free will?
The notion that humans can make choices and their behaviour/thoughts are not determined by biological or external forces.
What is determinism?
The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individuals will to do something.
What are the different types of determinism?
Hard
Soft
Biological
Environmental
Psychic
What is hard determinism?
The view that forces outside our control (internal/external factors) shape our behaviour. So free will is an illusion.
Link hard determinism to research
Biological approach as it sees all human behaviour as governed by internal, biological causes over which we have no control.
What is soft determinism?
The view that behaviour may be predictable (caused by internal/external factors) but there is also room for personal choice from a limited range of possibilities (restricted free will)
Link soft determinism to research
The cognitive approach is founded on soft determinism, i.e. the view that behaviour may be determined by internal and external forces but we can also exert our free will at times by making conscious choices.
What is biological determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we can’t control.
Link biological determinism to research
Biological approach as it sees all human behaviour as governed by internal causes over which we have no control.
What is environmental determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment) that we can’t control.
Link environmental determinism to research
Skinner described free will as an “illusion” and argued that all behaviour is the result of conditioning. Al thought we might think we are acting independently, our experience of ‘choice’ is merely the sum total of reinforcement contingencies that have acted upon us throughout our lives.
What is psychic determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we can’t control
Link psychic determinism to research
Freud also believed that free will is an ‘illusion’ but he emphasised the influence of biological drives and instincts. He saw human behaviour as determined by unconscious conflicts, repressed in childhood.
Explain the scientific emphasis on casual explanations
One of the basic principles of science is that every event in the universe has a cause and that causes can be explained using general laws (hard determinism). Knowledge of causes and the formulation of laws are important as they allow scientists to predict and control events in the future.
What is the idea of science in psychology?
Lab experiments as it enables researchers to demonstrate casual relationships - it is like the test tube used in other sciences where all variables can be controlled.
