Free will and determinism Flashcards
What is this debate about
The extent to which behaviour is controlled/ governed by forces beyond the individual’s power, or whether we are free to choose our behaviours
What is determinism
Determinismis the view that free will is an illusion, and that our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control.
Basic idea being that there is a definite cause for a behaviour
Consequently, our behaviour is viewed as predictable.
Those who take a determinist view would seek to establish cause & effect explanations
X always causes (determines) Y, or the IV always causes the DV if EV’s are controlled
Two varying degrees of determinism
Hard determinism
Soft determinism
Hard determinism
is the view that forces outside of our control (e.g. biology or past experience) shape our behaviour.
Hard determinism is seen as incompatible with free will.
eg Biological / Behavioural approaches
Soft determinism
behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent, there is an element of conscious choice involved.
This was the view of Nick Heather (1976) who proposed that while our behaviour is predictable, that doesn’t make it inevitable. We can choose how to behave, but normally we only have a limited number of behaviours to choose from.
eg cognitive / social learning approaches
Three different types of determinism
Biological determinism, Environmental determinism, Psychic determinism
Biological determinism
refers to the idea that all human behaviour is innate and determined by genes
eg genetic theories of aggression/ OCD/ Evolutionary theories
Environmental determinism
is the view that behaviour is determined or caused by forces outside the individual.
eg Milgram/ The behavioural approach suggests that phobias, like all behaviours, are learned. An individual learns to fear certain objects or situations through the interactions and experiences they encounter.
Psychic determinism
claims that human behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives (ID, Ego and Superego), as in Freud’s model of psychological development- that our unconscious governs our behaviour
eg Freud’s theories / approach in general i.e. If a child becomes frustrated or is overindulged at any of the psychosexual stages of development, they become fixated on this stage and this has an impact on their behaviour and personality
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 and are self-determined.
For example, people can make a free choice as to whether to commit a crime or not.
Therefore, a person is responsible for their own actions, and it is impossible to predict human behaviour with any precision
Evaluation: the use of determinism in Psychology, strengths
*One strength of deterministic approaches is that they easily generate research evidence. For example, brain scans & twin studies (biological approach), lab experiments (learning approaches) and case studies (psychodynamic approach).
*A deterministic view implies that there is always a cause for behaviour. This has led to the use of scientific methods such as experimental methods which is good because it allows researchers to be more objective and precise. This enables studies to be replicated to see if findings are reliable. Furthermore, controlling EVs and manipulating an IV enables causation to be determined.
Evaluation: the use of determinism in Psychology, criticism
*The deterministic view brings with it serious ethical implications. If behaviour is determined by outside forces, this provides a potential excuse for criminal acts. 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 American court rejected this argument. Therefore, a truly determinist position may be undesirable as it provides an ‘excuse’ for people’s criminal behaviour, removing responsibility for such actions and deeming punishment inappropriate.
Evaluation: the use of free will in Psychology, strengths
*The notion of free will has many useful practical applications which suggests that individuals do have control over their own behaviour.
*Humanistic psychologists claim that behaviour is not the result of any single cause, supporting the idea of free will over determinism. Evidence to support this is plentiful. For example, identical twin studies typically find an 80% similarity in intelligence scores. However, as identical twins share 100% of their genes, these results suggest that 20% is caused by other (environmental) factors. This demonstrates that biological determinism is unable to definitively explain behaviour, in this case, intelligence. The same evidence indicates that no behaviour is completely environmentally determined. If identical twins only show an 80% likeness in terms of intelligence, it is therefore assumed that only 20% is caused by the environment.
*More and more research findings seem to be suggesting that we are determined by biological factors. For example, Libet et al (1985) found that the motor regions of the brain become active before a person registers conscious awareness of making a decision. In their research, they found that the decision to press a button with the left or right hand was actually a pre-determined action of the brain. This strongly suggests that responses are actually biologically determined, despite many of us subjectively feeling that we have free will.
The scientific emphasis on causal explanations
Determinism, particularly hard determinism, is a view that is compatible with the aims of science. The idea of free will is not.
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. For example, in Loftus and Palmer’s (1974) research, they manipulated the verb used in the critical question (IV), to measure the effect on the participant’s estimate of speed (DV).
Knowledge and understanding of these causes allow scientists to predict and control events.
Evaluation: the scientific emphasis on causation
*While experiments are keen to establish causation (where X causes Y), they tend to minimise the importance of uncontrolled extraneous variables. There are so many variables that influence human behaviour and it is impossible to control them all effectively. Consequently, the cause of human behaviour is difficult to determine, making hard determinism inappropriate for much of psychology.
*Furthermore, it is not possible to truly determine cause and effect in psychological experimental research. Statistical tests can only show the probability that something occurred by chance rather than what has definitively caused an effect seen in the laboratory.
