issues and debates Flashcards
(33 cards)
Define Free Will
The idea that we are able to have some choice in how we act and assume that we are free to choose our behaviour, in other words we are self determined
How does the Law support Free Will?
The main principle in the legal system is that the defendant must exercises their free will in committing the crime - therefore, the ideology that we live in a world of determinism (hard determinism) doesn’t work within the law and the legal system
What is the benefit of believing in Free Will for the mental health?
Rebecca Robert’s et al looked at adolescents who had a string belief in fatalism were at a significantly greater risk of developing depression. People who has external locus of control were less likely to be optimistic compared to internal
Define Determinism
Proposes that all behaviour is caused by preceding factors and is thus predictable. The causal laws of determinism form the basis of science
What is Soft Determinism?
The belief that there are elements of both determinism and free will. Links well with a more cognitive approach
What is Hard Determinism?
The belief that there is NO free will and that behaviour can be predicted. Links well with biological approach
What did Benjamin Libet et al do in regard to determinism?
Told participants to choose a random moment to flick their wrist (readiness potential) - they had to state when they felt the conscious will to move. The unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision, came around half a second before they were aware of wanting to move
- Most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by our brain before we are aware of it
What is Biological Determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by biology (genes) influences that we cannot control
What is Environmental Determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward/punishment) that we cannot control
What is the Psychic Determinism?
The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control
What is Reductionism?
Is an approach that breaks down complex behaviour into simpler and separate components, such as the biological approach
What is Occam’s Razor in regards to Reductionism?
Is the problem-solving principle that the simplest solution tends to be the correct one. When presented with competing hypotheses to solve a problem, one should select the solution with the fewest assumptions
What is the Principle of Parsimony in regards to Reductionism?
Is the idea that it is pointless to do with more what is done with less
Why do Occam’s Razor and the Principle of Parsimony support Reductionism?
It suggests how it is difficult to consider all complexities of behaviour, although not impossible
What is Biological Reductionism?
The biological approach reduces behaviour to biological structures/processes and ignores the whole
What is Cognitive-Experimental Reductionism?
The cognitive approach studies cognitive processes (e.g. memory/attention) in isolation, reducing behaviours and processes into simple variables for testing
What is Behaviourist-Experimental Reductionism?
The behaviourist approach reduces behaviour to simple stimulus-response associations
What are the 3 levels of Reductionism?
- Lowest level: biological
- Middle level: cognitive/behaviourist
- Highest level: sociocultural
What is Holism?
“The whole is more than the sum of the parts.” We must look at everything that makes up the behaviour to gain an overall view of it, such as the humanistic approach
What is the Humanistic approach in regards to Holism?
The Humanistic approach rejects scientific methods of investigation and focus on understanding all aspects of human experience and interaction
What is the Interactionist Approach?
(Holism V Reductionism)
Considers how different levels of explanation may combine and interact. For example, the diathesis-stress model which has been used to explain the onset of mental disorders like depression or schizophrenia as such disorders are a result of predisposition (often genetic) which is “triggered” by some stressors (often environmental)
What is Alpha bias?
(Gender bias)
When exaggerations are made about the differences between men and women. This may emphasise stereotypical characteristics
What is Beta bias?
(Gender bias)
When the differences between men and women are minimised - ignoring the fact that the genders have differences
What is Androcentrism?
(Gender bias)
Taking male thinking and behaviour as the normal. Regarding female behaviour/thinking as deviant, inferior, abnormal or ‘other’ as it is different to that of a males
Freuds views are heavily androcentric
