Freewill & Determinism AO1 & AO3

Question 1

Define Freewill

Answer 1

the notion that humans can make choices that are not determined by biological or external factors

Question 2

What does the belief in Freewill NOT deny?

Answer 2

Doesn’t deny that there are biological/environmental forces that exert some influence on our behaviour

Question 3

What does Freewill suggest?

Answer 3

that we are able to reject the biological and environmental forces

Question 4

Name the 5 types of determinism

Answer 4

1) Hard
2) Soft
3) Biological
4) Environmental
5) Psychic

Question 5

Define Determinism

Answer 5

the belief that a persons behaviour is controlled by internal and external factors

Question 6

Define Hard Determinism

Answer 6

Freewill is not possible, out behaviour is always caused by internal/external events beyond our control

Question 7

What is Hard Determinism compatible with?

Answer 7

the aims of science - to establish casual explanations for thoughts and behaviour

Question 8

Define Soft Determinism

Answer 8

All events have causes but behaviour can also be determined by out conscious choices in the absence of pressure

Question 9

Who first suggested the idea of Soft Determinism? What is it important in?

Answer 9

James (1890)

Imp feature of cognitive approach

Question 10

Although scientists investigate the forces acting upon us….

(soft determinism)

Answer 10

it doesn’t detract from the freedom we have to make rational and conscious choices

Question 11

Define Biological Determinism

Answer 11

Behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cant control

Question 12

What processes aren’t under our conscious control according to Biological Determinism?

Answer 12

physiological and neurological processes

Question 13

What has been thought to have a genetic basis?

Answer 13

Mental Disorders

Question 14

What do Modern Bio-psychologists recognise?

Answer 14

the mediating influence of the environment on our biological structures

Question 15

Define Environmental Determinism

Answer 15

Behaviour is cause by features of the environment that we cannot control

Question 16

What did Skinner say about freewill?

Answer 16

said it was and illusion and that behaviour is caused because of conditioning

Question 17

What has our behaviour been shaped by according to Environmental Determinism?

Answer 17

Environmental events and agents of socialisation

Question 18

Define Psychic Determinism

Answer 18

Behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control

Question 19

What did Freud place emphasis on?

Answer 19

the influence of biological drives and instincts

Question 20

Why is there ‘no such thing as an accident’ according to Psychic Determinism?

Answer 20

It can all be explained by the underlying authority of our conscious

Question 21

What is the basic principle of science?

Answer 21

Every event has a cause and that cause can be explained using general laws

Question 22

Why is knowledge of the causes and formulation of laws important?

Answer 22

they allow scientists to predict and control events in the future

Question 23

Why are Lab Experiments important?

Answer 23

let researchers remove other extraneous variables in an attempt to precisely control and predict human behaviour

Question 24

Why is it a strength that Determinism is consistent with the aims of science?

AO3

Answer 24

Experiences from mental disorders where the sufferer experiences a complete loss of control over their thoughts and behaviour cast a doubt on the concept of freewill.

So in terms of mental disorders behaviour is determined, thus increasing credibility due to practical application

Question 25

What is a limitation of Hard Determinism?

AO3

Answer 25

Not consistent w/ how our legal system operates.
It’s unfalsifiable b/c its based on the idea that there is always a cause for behaviour - suggesting the approach is not as scientific as first assumes so decreases credibility

Question 26

What did Roberts et al show?

AO3

Answer 26

that children with a strong belief in fatalism had a significantly greater risk of developing depression so people with an internal LoC are more mentally health.

Suggests we don’t have freewill but the fact that we believe in it may have a good impact on our mind and behaviour. Thus increasing external validity

Question 27

Who showed that Neurological studies show evidence against freewill?

AO3

Answer 27

Libet & Soon - brain activity that determines outcome of simple choices comes before our awareness of that choice; decision to press a button with their right or left hand occurred 10 seconds before ppts said they were aware of their decision.
Decreases internal validity of freewill