L4 Free will vs Determinism

Question 1

Define free will

Answer 1

The notion of free will suggests that as human beings we are essentially selfdetermining and able to choose our thoughts and actions.

Question 2

What approach applies to free will

Answer 2

The humanistic approach considers people to have free will.

Question 3

Define determinism

Answer 3

Determinism is the general idea that our traits and behaviours are outside of
our control, due to factors, either internal or external, over which we have no
control.

Question 4

What does free will not reject

Answer 4

The notion of free will does not deny the influence of biology on behavior but rather says we are able to reject the influence of it.

Question 5

Define Hard determinism

Answer 5

Hard determinism is the view that forces outside of our control (e.g. biology or past experience) shape our behaviour

Question 6

What is hard determinism compatible with

Answer 6

Such a position is compatible with the aims of science – to uncover the causal laws that govern thought and action – and always assumes that everything we think and do is dictated by internal or external forces that we cannot control.

Question 7

Define soft determinism

Answer 7

Soft determinism is an alternative position favoured by many psychologists. According to soft determinism, behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent.

Question 8

Define biological determinism

Answer 8

The biological approach argues that all of our traits
and behaviours are governed by internal biological factors, like genes, neurochemistry, brain structure etc. There is no doubt that many of our physiological and neurological brain processes are not under conscious control –
such as the autonomic nervous system during periods of stress and anxiety. In addition, lots of behaviours, characteristics (such as mental disorders) are
thought to have a genetic basis and research has demonstrated the ef

Question 9

Define enviromental determinism

Answer 9

BF Skinner famously described free will as an ‘illusion’ and argued that all behaviour is the result of conditioning. Our experience of ‘choice’ is merely the sum total of reinforcement contingencies that have acted upon us throughout our lives. Although we might think we are acting independently, our behaviour has been shaped by environmental events, as well as agents of socialisation – parents, teachers, institutions, etc.

Question 10

Define psychic determinism

Answer 10

Sigmund Freud, like Skinner, agreed that free will is an ‘illusion’ but placed much more emphasis on the influence of biological drives and instincts that the Behaviourists. His particular brand of determinism sees human behaviour as determined and directed by unconscious conflicts, repressed in childhood. There `random and harmless as a ‘slip of the tongue’ can be explained by the underlying authority of the unconscious.

Question 11

What’s the scientific emphasis on casual explanations

Answer 11

Science is heavily deterministic in its search for causal relationships as it seeks to discover whether the independent variable (cause) leads to changes in the dependent variable (effect). If all variables are controlled except for the independent variable, this means that changes in the dependant variable must be caused by manipulation of the independent variable. Having a control group enables researchers to determine cause and effect. The goal is to be able to predict and control human behaviour.

Question 12

Evaluation of free will (legal system application)

Answer 12

Another strength of free will is its application to the legal system – legally all citizens are responsible for their actions at the age of 10 onwards. This suggests that we all have free will and are responsible and chose to be criminals which makes sense as if this was not the case then criminals would roam around free in society as they have no control or choice over their behaviour. Thankfully this is not the case as the concept of free will comes into play for criminals.

Question 13

Evaluation of free will (neurological evidence against free will)

Answer 13

Studies by Chun Siong Soon et al (2008), have demonstrated that the brain activity that outcomes the outcome of simple choices may occur earlier than our knowledge of actually making that choice. In their study, the researchers found that the activity related to whether to press a button with the left or right hand occurs in the brain up to 10 seconds before participants report being consciously aware of making such a decision. This suggests that our decisions are determined before we even make them supporting a strong argument against free will.

Question 14

Evaluation of free will (face validity)

Answer 14

One strength of free will is the idea that everyday experiences ‘ give the impression’ that we are constantly exercising free will through the choices we make – this gives face validity to the concept of free will.

Question 15

Free will evaluation (internal LOC)

Answer 15

research suggests that people who have an internal locus of control, believing that they have a high degree of influence over their own behaviour, tend to be more mentally healthy – this suggests that the concept of locus of control exercises free will. Those individuals who possess a high internal locus of control believe that they can change their behaviour – this was found in social influence research where those individuals who had a high internal locus of control score, were more likely to resist social influence suggesting they used their own free will as they did not follow the crowd and show conformity or obedience but rather resisted it.

Question 16

Evaluation of determinism (consistent with aims of science)

Answer 16

The notion that human behaviour is orderly and obeys laws makes psychology more respected and scientific as a discipline. For example, biological determinism means that our behaviour is determined by our biology and this is consistent with the biological approach which argues this. Moreover, most biological abnormalities can be proven through brain and body scans.

Question 17

Evaluation of determinism (schizophrenic treatments developed)

Answer 17

value of schizophrenic research for example has led to drug treatment helping to control and manage schizophrenic symptoms. Since schizophrenic patients show loss of control over their thoughts, surely they cannot be exercising any free will and the fact that their symptom such as hallucinations and delusions can be controlled by anti-pychotic drugs suggests that biological determinism is at work here.

Question 18

Evaluation of determinism (not consistent with legal system)

Answer 18

that individual choice is not the cause of behaviour – is not consistent with the way in which our legal system operates. In a court of law, offenders are held morally accountable for their actions. This is a weakness of determinism since this argument suggests that we have no choice or control over our behaviour so how can we choose to be criminals? However, we also must bear in mind that evidence has suggested that there may be a genetic link to aggression in men – the MAOA gene which suggests that males who possess this gene are more likely to be aggressive and more likely to engage in criminal behaviour – this suggests that we should be cautious in the argument of free will since the MAOA gene is an example of determinism as we don’t choose our genetic makeup!

Question 19

Evaluation of determinism (approach is not falsifiable)

Answer 19

Another limitation of determinism is that this approach is not always falsifiable – it is based on the idea that causes of behaviour exist, even though they have not yet been found. Yet it is difficult to prove wrong as a principle – suggesting that the deterministic approach may not be as scientific as it seems.