L4 - Free Will Vs Determinism In Psychology

Question 1

What is biological determinism?

Answer 1

Biological determinism refers to the idea that all human behaviour is innate and determined by genes.

Question 2

Casual explanations

Answer 2

Science is heavily deterministic in its search for causal relationships as it seeks to discover whether X causes Y, or whether the independent variable causes changes in the dependent variable.

Question 3

Determinism

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 4

Environmental determinism is the view that behaviour is determined or caused by forces outside the individual.
Environmental determinism posits that our behaviour is caused by previous experience learned through classical and operant conditioning.

Question 5

What is free will?

Answer 5

• Free will is the idea that we can play an active role and have choice in how we behave.
• the assumption is that individuals are free to choose their behaviour & are self-determined

Question 6

What is hard determinism?

Answer 6

• Hard determinism, also known as ‘fatalism’, is the view that internal and external forces outside of our control shape our behaviour. (E.g. biology or past experiences)
• Hard determinism is seen as incompatible with free will.

Question 7

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 7

Psychic determinism is the idea that traits and behaviours are governed by unconscious instincts and drives, rooted in childhood experiences.

Question 8

What is soft determinism?

Answer 8

• Soft determinism is an alternative position that suggests behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent.
• therefore there is an element of choice (free will)