Issues And Debates - Free Will And Determinism

Question 1

What is free will?

Answer 1

The notion that humans can make choices and arent determined by biological or external forces

Question 2

What is determinism?

Answer 2

The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than free will

Question 3

What are the two types of determinism?

Answer 3

Hard
Soft

Question 4

What is hard determinism?

Answer 4

A type of determinism that suggests that free will isn’t possible as our behaviour is always controlled by internal or external forces out of our control

Question 5

What is soft determinism?

Answer 5

A type of determinism that suggest that all events have causes but our behaviour can be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion

Question 6

What is an example of an approach which is hard deterministic?

Answer 6

Behavioural

Question 7

What is an example of an approach which is soft deterministic?

Answer 7

Cognitive

Question 8

What is biological determinism?

Answer 8

The belief that human behaviour is controlled by biological factors e.g., genes that we cannot control

Question 9

What are some examples of biological determinism?

Answer 9

The autonomic nervous system
Evidence of a genetic basis for some mental disorders

Question 10

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 10

The belief that behaviour is caused by environmental features that we cannot control

Question 11

Who spoke about environmental determinism?

Answer 11

Skinner - Operant conditioning

Question 12

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 12

The belief that behaviour is controlled by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control

Question 13

Who spoke about psychic determinsm?

Answer 13

Freud -> unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood effect behaviour

Question 14

What is the scientific emphasis on causal explanations?

Answer 14

Science explains that every event has a cause and they can be explained using general laws so psychologists use the lab experiment enables researches to attempt to precisely control & predict human behaviour

Question 15

EVALUATION: What is the support for determinism?

Answer 15

Determinism is consistent with the aims of science and the notion that human behaviour obeys laws places psychology on an equal footing that other sciences e.g. physics.
Mental disorders e.g. schizophrenia casts doubt on free will (patients suffer loss of control over thoughts) -> shows behaviour would appear determined (in the case of mental disorder)

Question 16

EVALUATION: What is the case against determinism?

Answer 16

Hard determinism isn’t consistent with the legal system -> offenders are held morally accountable for their actions
Determinism is unfalsifiable -> states the causes of behaviour will always exist & havent been found -> cannot be proved

Question 17

EVALUATION: What is the support for free will?

Answer 17

There is face validity -> everyday experience gives the impression we experience it
Research for locus of control -> demonstrated that these people are more mentally healthy -> Robert et al demonstrated adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism were at a greater risk of developing depression

Question 18

EVALUATION: What is the case against free will?

Answer 18

Neurological studies -> Benjamin Libet demonstrated that brain activity determines the outcome of simple choice, activity related to pushing a button with the L/R hand happens up to 10 seconds before participants reported being consciously aware of that decision

Question 19

EVALUATION: What is the interactionist perspective on free will & determinism?

Answer 19

They’re the best compromise for the debate
-> Approaches e.g. SLT are soft deterministic & also have a cognitive element to them & argue that environmental factors in learning are key but we can make conscious decisions on when to perform certain behaviours