Issues And Debates - Free Will And Determinism Flashcards
What is free will?
The notion that humans can make choices and arent determined by biological or external forces
What is determinism?
The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than free will
What are the two types of determinism?
Hard
Soft
What is hard determinism?
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
What is soft determinism?
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
What is an example of an approach which is hard deterministic?
Behavioural
What is an example of an approach which is soft deterministic?
Cognitive
What is biological determinism?
The belief that human behaviour is controlled by biological factors e.g., genes that we cannot control
What are some examples of biological determinism?
The autonomic nervous system
Evidence of a genetic basis for some mental disorders
What is environmental determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by environmental features that we cannot control
Who spoke about environmental determinism?
Skinner - Operant conditioning
What is psychic determinism?
The belief that behaviour is controlled by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control
Who spoke about psychic determinsm?
Freud -> unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood effect behaviour
What is the scientific emphasis on causal explanations?
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
EVALUATION: What is the support for determinism?
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)
EVALUATION: What is the case against determinism?
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
EVALUATION: What is the support for free will?
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
EVALUATION: What is the case against free will?
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
EVALUATION: What is the interactionist perspective on free will & determinism?
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
