Free Will and Determinism Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is Determinism?
What are the 3 types we study in this ALevel?
The belief that behaviour is controlled by external/ internal factors acting upon the individual and that they have no freedom to choose.
Biological, Environmental, Psychic.
What is the explanation for Free Will?
The nation that humans can make choices that go beyond biological/ environmental forces.
What is Hard Determinism? What is it also known as?
Provide 2 examples.
The view that all behaviour can be predicted due to internal/ external forces beyond control, no free will
Also known as Fatalism — everything being predetermined.
E.g Behaviourism suggests behaviour is the product of CC/OC, Biological approach sees behaviour as produce of genes/ neurochemistry.
What is Soft Determinism? What was the example that James (1890) proposed?
This allows an aspect of free will and suggest all events, i.e human behaviour, has a cause.
James (1890) suggested that the Cognitive Approach allows individuals to reason and make decisions within the limits of their cognitive system.
What is Biological Determinism? What 3 things are out of our control? Provide an example.
The view that behaviour is always caused by internal biological forces beyond our control such as influence of genes, brain physiology and biochemistry.
E.g genes can affect neurotransmitter production (Serotonin/Dopamine) and can determine our behaviour, e.g MAOA gene
What is Environmental Determinism? How is Behaviourism this and why is SLT less deterministic?
View that behaviour is caused by forces outside of the individual’s control in their environment.
Behaviourist often associated with this as behaviour is conditioned via CC/OC.
SLT is less determinist as it recognises cognitive processes in learning a given behaviour, e.g an individual has to be motivated to imitate a behaviour.
What is Psychic Determinism? Provide an example and what did Freud claim/ believe in? (3 things)
-The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we can’t control, specifically throughout childhood.
-E.g Psycho-sexual stages of development suggest each stage is characterised by a conflict which is unresolved as a child, leading to fixation in adulthood.
-Claimed every behaviour has a cause, often with its origin in Unconscious, and that this can be understood through psychotherapy.
Why is Scientific Research important when studying Determinism? How is cause and effect created?
— Based on belief all events have a cause and effect relationship in which the IV is manipulated to influence the DV.
— Replicating this research under controlled conditions + using statistical tests establishes this relationship
What is the main strength to scientific research?
Cause and Effect increases scientific credibility of Psychology, through enabling prediction/ control of behaviour.
What is the belief of Free Will from Harris/ Skinner?
Believe free will is an illusion - actions are the product of brain states, which are themselves the result of prior causes that are generated by a universe in which we cannot control.
What is the belief of Humanist Psychologists on Free Will? What did Roger claim?
They argue FW is essential to have self actualisation and personal growth.
Roger claimed that as long as an individual remains controlled by other people/things they can’t take responsibility for their own and therefore cannot change it.
What is the final belief on Free Will in regards to morality and where has this been implemented in society?
Other Psychologists suggest moral responsibility is only possible when the individual is responsible for their own actions.
UK legal system based upon the assumption that we choose our behaviours and therefore are held responsible for them.
What is the continuum (order) for the 7 approaches from fully Determinist to Free Will? (Including Cog Neuroscience)
Determinism: Biological, Behaviourist, Cognitive neuroscience
Middle: Psychodynamic, Cognitive, SLT
Free Will: Humanism
What is the case of Stephen Mobley (1994) who offered genetic evidence in mitigation in court? ( 3 things)
- He argued that he was ‘born to kill’ after killing a pizza shop manager in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Despite a privileged homelife, his family showed four generations of violence; attorneys argued his crime was influenced by his genetic makeup.
- Court rejected the claim however introduced genetic defend into the courtroom was a crucial step for law + genetics
Why may a Hard Determinist position be undesirable in court situations and what are the 2 issues with this?
It is seen undesirable as it provides an ‘excuse’ allowing people to mitigate their liability
- could lead to difficult legal issues i.e with nature of responsibility and intent (Legal term for intent is mens rea)
What may happen if the person on trial can show they committed the crime due to poor mental health?
The defendant may be able to use the law of diminished responsibility and in this case be offered a more lenient punishment.
What is the main strength to the concept of free will?
It has face validity, as everyday experiences ‘gives the impression’ that we are constantly exercising free will through the string of mundane choices that we make.
How did Skinner argue against the concept of Free Will?
He claimed ‘Free Will is an illusion’ and that our behaviour is environmentally determined and the result of previous reinforcement, even if we are unable or unwilling to admit it.
What did Libet et al. (1983) find regarding motor functions that contradicts the idea of freewill? What 2 things does this suggest?
They found that motor region in the brain become active before a person registers conscious awareness of a decision.
The decision to move a finger was a pre-determined action of the brain.
Suggests some responses are biologically determined and alludes to Free Will being an illusion.
Additionally to Libet et al.’s (1983) motor function study, what did Trevino and Miller (2009) do and find from this that suggests the concept of Free Will is only a possibility?
They conducted a similar study and suggested that the brain activity was simply a ‘readiness to act’ rather than an intention to move.
What was the real world effect of Free Will that Robert’s (2000) studied and what does this suggest?
They demonstrated that adolescents who believed in Fatalism (That their lives were decided by events out of their control) were are significantly greater risk of developing depression. This suggests that believing in free will can be beneficial to an individual’s wellbeing.
