Free Will & Determinism Flashcards
Define biological determinism.
Biological determinism suggests that all human behavior is innate and determined by genes.
How does science, particularly in psychology, relate to determinism?
Science, especially in psychology, is heavily deterministic as it seeks causal explanations or relationships to discover whether one variable causes changes in another.
What is determinism?
Determinism is the view that free will is an illusion, and our behavior is governed by internal or external forces beyond our control.
Define environmental determinism.
Environmental determinism suggests that behavior is determined or caused by forces outside the individual, such as previous experiences learned through classical and operant conditioning.
What is free will?
Free will is the idea that individuals can play an active role, make choices, and are self-determined in their behavior.
How does hard determinism view the shaping of behavior?
Hard determinism asserts that forces outside of our control, such as biology or past experiences, shape our behavior, and it is considered incompatible with free will.
What does psychic determinism propose about human behavior?
Psychic determinism claims that human behavior results from childhood experiences and innate drives, as in Freud’s model of psychological development.
How does soft determinism view the shaping of behavior?
Soft determinism, favored by many psychologists, posits that behavior is constrained by the environment or biological makeup but only to a certain extent. It allows for some degree of free will within these constraints.
How has research into the human genome contributed to the idea of Biological Determinism?
Research into the human genome, such as the study by Hill et al. (1999) on the IGF2r gene, provides evidence supporting the idea of biological determinism, particularly in relation to intelligence.
Can you provide an example of research supporting Environmental Determinism?
Bandura’s (1961) study found that children with violent parents are more likely to become violent parents themselves due to observational learning, supporting the concept of environmental determinism.
How is science described in relation to determinism in its search for causal relationships?
Science is characterized as heavily deterministic in its search for causal relationships, aiming to establish whether there is a causal link between variables, such as X causing Y or changes in the independent variable causing changes in the dependent variable.
Provide an example of a study that illustrates the deterministic approach in scientific research.
Loftus and Palmer’s (1974) research serves as an example. They manipulated the independent variable (IV), the verb used in the critical question, to measure its effect on the participants’ estimate of speed, serving as the dependent variable (DV).
How did Bandura use a deterministic approach in the Bobo doll experiment?
In Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment, he applied a deterministic approach by manipulating the condition to which children were exposed (aggressive role model, non-aggressive model, and no role model) to investigate the impact on the behavior of the children.
