Free Will v. Determinism Flashcards
What is meant by ‘hard determinism’?
All human action has a cause. Most often this is external factors outside our control. This view is completely incompatible with free will.
Identify another term for ‘hard determinism’.
Fatalism.
What is meant by ‘soft determinism’?
Human behaviour is determined to a certain extent, from there humans have little choice on behaviour. But there is still choice.
Define ‘biological determinism’ with an example.
Genes and neural processes are the main determent of how we behave.
E.g. the role of testosterone in aggression or the dopamine hypothesis in schizophrenia.
What is mean by ‘environmental determinism’? Give an example.
External forces of our surroundings are the main determent of how we behave.
E.g. Classical conditioning whereby a strong association to a particular object means the individual is unable to control their behaviour when the object is presented.
What is meant be psychic determinism? Give an example.
The unconscious mind and repressed thoughts are the main determent of how we behave.
E.g. Freudian slips - when someone uses a wrong word in conversation, it can be a good sign of their unconscious mind - as the unconscious mind is able to control behaviour.
Give a definition for ‘free will’ in psychology.
Humans play an active role in how we behave. We are able to control our behaviour through the choices we make. We are able to act in unconstrained ways.
What did Skinner describe free will as?
‘An illusion’. He claimed that all behaviour was a consequence of conditioning.
Give an advantage in the free will v. determinism debate in psychology.
- Free will has practical value - Roberts et al. looked at adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism - at greater risk of developing depression - an internal locus of control makes a person more optimistic - the knowledge that we have free will (even if we don’t) improved mental health and encourages positive thinking.
- Free will is supported by the ideas of the humanistic approach.
Give three disadvantages in the free will v. determinism debate in psychology.
Disadvantages:
- Evidence does not support free will, it supports determinism - Libet et al. - asked pps to flick their wrist and say when they felt the urge to move - unconscious brain activity came 0.5 seconds before the pps’ conscious decision to move - even most basic experiences of free will are actually determined biologically.
- Determinism causes issues in real-world - e.g. hard determinist stance is inconsistent with how legal system operates - determinism would act as a defence as it challenges the ability to form a ‘mens rea’ or guilty mind (intention) in the commission of an offence - determinist arguments have low practical validity.
- Free will is impossible to test - difficult to quantify and measure - thus psychology can be regarded as at odds with scientific discipline - therefore the debate is unlikely to be resolved until free will can be falsified.
What is the issue with ‘hard determinism’?
There is yet to be a gene identified that says something will definitely happen. Thus, until this has been found, we should adopt a soft deterministic view.
Give an example of soft determinism from anywhere in the psychology course.
Good example is the mediational processes in the social learning theory - reinforcement effects behaviour by we choose whether or not to replicate the behaviour.
