Free Will vs Determinism Flashcards
What is free will?
The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces. It is advocated by the humanistic approach.
What is determinism?
The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual’s will to do something.
What is hard determinism?
Implies that free will is not possible as our behaviour is always caused by internal or external events beyond our control.
What is soft determinism?
Human behaviour and actions are wholly determined by causal events, but human free will does exist when defined as the capacity to act according to one’s nature
What is biological determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by biological influences we cannot control ( genetic, hormonal, evolutionary).
What is environmental determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment and conditioning) that we can’t control.
What is psychic determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control.
What are the evaluation points for free will vs determinism?
Case for determinism Case against determinism Case for free will Case against free will Compromise
Evaluation point: Case for determinism
The notion that human behaviour is orderly and obeys laws places psychology on equal footing with other more established sciences.
The value of this research is the prediction and control of behaviour has led to the development of treatments, therapies and behavioural interventions.
Evaluation point: Case against determinism
The hard determinist stance - that individual choice is not the cause of behaviour - is not consistent with the legal system. In a court of law, offenders are held morally accountable for their actions.
Also, despite its scientific credentials, determinism as an approach is unfalsifiable. This suggest that the determinist approach to human behaviour may not be as scientific as it first appears.
Evaluation point: Case for free will
Everyday experience gives face validity to the concept of free will, it makes cognitive sense.
Research suggests that people who have an internal locus of control, tend to be more mentally healthy. Roberts et al showed that adolescents who have a strong belief in fatalism were at greater risk of depression.
This suggests that, even if we do not have free will, the fact we think we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
Evaluation point: Case against free will
Libet and Siong Soon, demonstrated that the brain activity that determines the outcome of simple choices may predate our knowledge of having made such a choice. The researchers found that activity related to a choice occurs in the brain up to 10 seconds before being consciously aware of this decision.
This shows our basic free will is decided and determined by our brain.
Evaluation point: Compromise
An interactionist position may provide us with the best compromise. E.g approaches with a cognitive element, SLT, are those which adopt a soft-determinism position. Bandura argued that although environmental factors in learning are key, we are free to choose are behaviour
What is the scientific emphasis on causal explanations?
One of the basic principles in science is that everything has a cause and causes can be explained by general laws. Scientists can use these general laws to predict and control events. This can be seen in psychology in lab studies where researchers stimulate the conditions of the test and control extraneous variables.
What is an example of Hard determinism?
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