Free Will and Determinism Flashcards
(22 cards)
hard determinism
all behaviour is completely determined by external and internal factors and as a result free will does not existed
like psychic being determined by your unconscious or biological being determined by genetics and hormones or environmental being determined by the environment
soft determinism
posits that while behaviour is influenced and often constrained by prior causes, people still possess a degree of personal freedom and responsibility in their actions
environmental examples
Rachel keeps on stealing clothes from the shopping centre because she likes the compliments she gets from her friends about how fashionable she is
Joey feels less aggressive after playing a game of rugby
Jeremy does his homework as soon as his father tells him. He does this because he knows he will not be allowed to go out with his friends
Zac sees his friend Billy get a sticker for the hard work that he has put into a picture he drew in art, so Zac put more effort into his art work as he really wants a sticker
Brian goes to see his favourite football team Man United and shouts abuse with the crowd at the Liverpool fans
Daniel sees his friend Fred in the street and jumps out. Fred’s heart starts to race and he feels sweaty
Sarah starts to smoke cigarettes because her friends smoke
Sam’s dad shouts at Sam for leaving his toys out so Sam now always tidies up when he has finished with them
Elly goes to see her sister who has been put in jail for speeding. Elly sees how unhappy she is. She drives really slowly whenever she drives now
psychic examples
Monica is obsessively tidy and keeps all her clothes in the wardrobe by colour order
Debbie breaks a vase that her step-mum bought her
Annabel refers to her boss as coming from ‘hell’ rather than ‘Hull’ when she describes her to her friend
Felix meets his mum’s new boyfriend and says ‘pleased to beat you’ accidentally
Chandler has trouble forming relationships with other people and can’t remember much about his childhood
biological examples
Javid has an excess of dopamine in the brain and is showing schizophrenic symptoms
Bob has an overactive hypothalamus and so feels extremely aggressive
Sandra feels irritable and upset a few days before her period is due
William has been told the cause of his infertility is Klinefelter’s syndrome ( he has an extra X chromosome)
AO3 (1) free will and determinism
- A negative implication of this debate is its ambiguity in the justice system
- For example, there is a case of someone who shot the owner of a pizza shop and was on death row but his lawyers argue that due to genetic predisposition, his genes mean that he was born to kill and that it wasn’t his fault.
Unsure what cause of behaviour is
Ambiguity
Debate lacks usefulness - However, it can be argued that many people have the MAOA gene but they have the ability to supress those aggressive actions and that the fact that his victim’s murder was premeditated and not a spur of the moment action showing that he has more time and ability to control the affect of the gene on him.
Debate allows us to predict and prevent behaviour - Despite this,
AO3 (2) free will and determinism
- Positive implication of determinism = fostered treatments
It’s scientific approach fosters the development of psychological treatment - How has this led to treatment?
Development causal conclusions allows us to access accuracy of specific methods
Input a treatment that reverses things like low mood because we know low serotonin leads to low moods, causal conclusion because predictable, A always leads to B, low serotonin always leads to low moods
determinism relies on those causal conditions, we can develop a treatment to affect that
practical value – useful/applicable - CA – A doesn’t always lead to B, individual differences, treatments don’t work for all
Suggesting these deterministic theories aren’t the same for everyone
AO3 (3) free will and determinism
- A positive implication of Determinism
Led to treatments by knowing that serotonin determines OCD because we can work to reverse it during treatments, showing their effectiveness - However, treatments don’t work for all so reduces usefulness
Despite this it’s very scientific IV determines a DV
Thus increasing the internal validity of
What is determinism?
The belief that behaviour is controlled by internal or external forces beyond an individual’s control.
What is biological determinism?
A: The idea that behaviour is caused by biological factors like genes, brain structure, and neurotransmitters.
Example: IGF2R gene in intelligence (Hill et al, 1999); MAOA and CDH13 genes in criminality.
Q: What is environmental determinism?
A: The belief that behaviour is shaped by external experiences, especially through classical and operant conditioning.
Example: Little Albert (phobias); Skinner’s Box (operant conditioning in rats).
Q: What is psychic determinism?
A: Freud’s view that behaviour is driven by unconscious conflicts from early childhood experiences and innate drives.
Example: Fixation at the anal stage causing an anal expulsive personality.
Q: What is free will?
A: The belief that individuals have the ability to choose their behaviour freely, without being controlled by internal or external forces.
Example: Core belief of the humanistic approach.
Q: What is hard determinism?
A: The idea that all behaviour is completely determined and there is no free will.
Example: Behaviourism (conditioning), biological approach (genes), SLT (vicarious reinforcement).
Q: What is soft determinism?
A: The idea that behaviour is caused but people have some control and choice within limits.
Example: Cognitive approach – decisions are made using reasoning within our mental capacity.
Q: Why is determinism important for scientific research?
A: Scientific research assumes cause and effect – manipulating the IV to observe changes in the DV allows prediction and control of behaviour, increasing psychology’s credibility.
Q: What do humanistic psychologists argue about human behaviour?
A: That self-determinism is essential for human behaviour; individuals must take responsibility for change and growth.
Q: According to Rogers (1959), what is necessary for self-actualisation?
A: Taking personal responsibility — individuals must stop being controlled by others to grow and reach their full potential.
Q: Why has the humanistic approach been praised as a positive psychology perspective?
A: It views people as inherently good and capable of self-improvement and growth.
Q: What is meant by “moral responsibility”?
A: The belief that individuals are responsible for their own actions and behaviour.
Q: Who is not considered morally responsible according to the law?
A: Children and people with mental illness.
Q: How does moral responsibility challenge biological or psychic determinism?
A: It assumes humans can choose how they behave, regardless of genetics or past experiences.
