free will and determinism

Question 1

what is free will?

Answer 1

the notion that humans can make choices about their behaviour, and they are not determined by biological or environmental factors

Question 2

free will doesn’t deny that..

Answer 2

the environment and biology exert some influence over behaviour, BUT we are able to reject these forces

Question 3

which theory links to free will?

Answer 3

the humanistic approach

Question 4

how does the humanistic approach link to free will?

Answer 4

the humanistic approach focuses on helping people achieve their full potential, and the importance of free will, self-actualisation and self efficacy

Question 5

what is determinism?

Answer 5

the view that individual behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than the individual’s ‘will to do something’

Question 6

what are the 5 types of determinism?

Answer 6

hard
soft
biological
environmental
psychic

Question 7

what is hard determinism?

Answer 7

all human behaviour has a cause, there is no free will. we are controlled by internal/external events

Question 8

what approach does hard determinism link to?

Answer 8

the behaviourist approach
it suggests that human behaviour can be scientifically studied

Question 9

what is soft determinism?

Answer 9

there is an element of free will in all behaviour, but it is determined by conscious choices

Question 10

what approach does soft determinism link to?

Answer 10

the cognitive approach
sees humans as being able to make conscious decisions within the limits of their knowledge

Question 11

what is biological determinism?

Answer 11

behaviour is determined by biological factors (genes) that we can’t control
many physiological and neurological processes are not in our control (autonomic NS)

Question 12

is biological determinism hard or soft?

Answer 12

hard determinism

Question 13

what approach does biological determinism link to?

Answer 13

the biological approach

Question 14

what is environmental determinism?

Answer 14

behaviour is caused by the environment e.g. systems of reward and punishment that we cannot control
choice is a result of reinforcement/experiences

Question 15

what approach does environmental determinism link to?

Answer 15

social learning theory

Question 16

what is psychic determinism?

Answer 16

behaviour is controlled by unconscious biological urges out of our control
the result of childhood experiences and innate drives

Question 17

what did freud propose about psychic determinism?

Answer 17

the ID, ego and superego control our behaviour

Question 18

what approach does psychic determinism link to?

Answer 18

the psychodynamic approach

Question 19

give 2 evaluation points for free will

Answer 19

• high internal validity
• free will is an illusion

Question 20

evaluation free will: high internal validity

Answer 20

ID: high internal validity
Q: locus of control research supports the idea that free will can control behaviour
EV: robert et al. found that adolescents with an internal locus of control (an individual’s idea of what controls events in their lives) are less likely to develop depression and are more likely to have better mental health, compared to those with an external locus of control
AN: these differences in LOC and
mental health states support the idea that free will can help us determine what controls our life events, so we make such conscious decisions.

Question 21

evaluation free will: free will is an illusion

Answer 21

ID: some psychologists, such as skinner, argue that free will is an illusion.
Q: skinner insisted that our behaviour is in fact environmentally determined, even if we are unable (or unwilling) to admit it.
EV: libet et al. found that the motor regions of the brain become active before a person registers conscious awareness of a decision, i.e. the decision to move the finger was a pre-determined action of the brain.
AN: this strongly suggests that many responses are biologically determined and that although we may believe that we have free will, skinner’s claim that free will is an illusion, may be correct.

Question 22

give 2 evaluation points for determinism

Answer 22

• reductionist
• determinism could be used to justify criminal behaviour

Question 23

evaluation determinism: reductionist

Answer 23

ID: humanist psychologists argue against the determinism view, claiming that behaviour is not the result of any single cause.
Q: furthermore, there is plenty of evidence to support humanist psychologists.
EV: for example, identical twin studies typically find an 80% similarity in intelligence scores and a 40% similarity in the likelihood of depression. however, as identical twins share 100% of their genes, these results suggest that 20% is caused by other (environmental) factors.
AN: this demonstrates that biological determinism is unable to explain any particular behaviour, in this case, depression and intelligence. supporting an interactionist standpoint

Question 24

evaluation determinism: justification of criminals

Answer 24

ID: many psychologists, theorists and legal experts do not favour a deterministic point of view
Q: if behaviour is determined by outside forces, that provides a potential excuse for criminal acts
EV: for example, in 1981 stephen mobley argued that he was ‘born to kill’ after killing a pizza shop manager because his family had a disposition towards violence and aggressive behaviour.
AN: therefore, a hard deterministic stance is not in line with the principles of the judicial system, which sees individuals as taking moral responsibility for their actions.