Free will vs determinism

Question 1

What is free will?

Answer 1

• The notion suggests that human beings are self determining and free to choose their thoughts and actions
• does not deny that there are biological and environmental forces that extert some influence on behaviour, but implies that we can reject these forces if we choose as we are in control

Question 2

What is determinism?

Answer 2

The view that an individuals behaviour is shaped and controlled by internal and external forces rather than an individuals will

Question 3

What are the types of determinism?

Answer 3

• Hard
• Soft

Question 4

What is hard determinism?

Answer 4

• it suggests that all human behaviour has a cause and should be possible to identify and describe these causes
• It assumes everything that we think and do is dictated by internal and external forces that we can not control

Question 5

What is soft determinism?

Answer 5

• This version allows some elements of free will but suggests that all events in human behaviour have a cause
• developed by William James

Question 6

What are the three types of determinsim?

Answer 6

• Biological
• Environmental
• Psychic

Question 7

What is biological determinism?

Answer 7

• The view that behaviour is always caused by internal biological forces beyond our control, such as genes
• For example research by HIll identified particular genes for high intelligence, the IGF2R gene
• The MAOA gene (aggression), the autonomic nervous system (stress response)

Question 8

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 8

• The belief that behaviour is caused by previous experience through classical and operant conditioning.
• Our experience is merely based on the sum of reinforcement that have acted upon us thoughout our lives

Question 9

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 9

• That free will is an illusion and emphasised the influence of biological drives and instincts
• Also, determined by unconscious conflicts, repressed in childhood
• No accidents, based on slip of the tounge which shows the influence of the unconscious

Question 10

What is the importance of scientific research

Answer 10

• scientific research is based on the belief that all events have a cause and effect.
• An independent variable is manipulated to have an effect on the dependent variable
• repeating the research under controlled conditions in a lab experiment
  This increases the scientific credibility of Psychology as it can predict and control our behaviour.

Question 11

What is a strength of free will?

Answer 11

• Has practical value
• The common sense view states that we exercise free will on a day to day basis
• Rebecca Roberts looked at adolescents who has a strong belief is fatalism ( our lives are decided by events outside of our control) and found that they were significantly as risk for developing depression as people with an external LOC are less likely to be optimistic
• This suggests that free will has a positive impact on our mind and behaviour

Question 12

What is a limitation of determinism/ strength of free will?

Answer 12

• The position of the legal system of responsibility
• The hard determinist stance claims it is not an individuals choice in behaving a certain way.
• However, in a court of law, offenders are held responsible and the main principle of our legal system is that defendents exercise free will in commiting crimes
• Therefore in the real world, determinist arguements do not work

Question 13

What is a limitation of free will?

Answer 13

• one limitation of free will is that brain scan evidence does not support it
• Libet instructed participants to choose a random moment to flick their wrist whole he measured activity in their brain. Participants had to say if they felt the conscious will to move
• Libet found that the unconscious brain activity leading to the conscious decision to move came around half a second before they consciously decided to move
• This means that even our most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by our brain before we are aware of them

Question 14

What is a counterpoint of Libet’s research?

Answer 14

• However, Lisbets findings may not be appropriate to challenge free will
• just because the action comes before the conscious awareness of the decision to act, does not mean there was no decision to act
• This may just mean that the decision to act took time to reach consciousness