Issues and debates: topic 2 ‘free will and determinism’ Flashcards
(20 cards)
what is free will
- the notion of free well suggests that as human beings we have the power to consciously control and make choices about our thoughts and behaviour
does the free will debate deny biological and environmental forces? what approach advocate this view?
- a belief in free world does not deny that there may be biological and environmental forces that some influence on our behaviour but implies that we are able to reject these forces as the masters of our own destiny
- this view is advocated by humanistic psychologists like rogers and maslow
topic link for example of free will
- milgrams research: 35% of participants in the study didn’t obey despite situational variables (lab coat, yale university, experimental stood next to them being present), they chose to withdraw from study and stop before giving a 450V shock and were found to be more likely to have an internal locus of control
strengths of free will
P - there are strengths of the notion of free will
E - although freewill is not based on scientific evidence, every day experience does give the impression that we are exercising free world through the choices we make
E - this gives face validity to the concept of free will
L - therefore this debate is plausible
P - further strengths of the notion of free will
E - research suggests that people who feel in control of their own behaviour (high internal locus of control) are more likely to be able to resist pressure to conform
E - the suggests that even if we do not have free will, thinking we have free we can have a positive impact on our behaviour
L - supports the idea of us having conscious control to make choices about our thoughts and behaviour
limitations of free will
P - one issue with the notion of free well is that it is practically impossible to test
E - it is a non-physical phenomenon, and difficult to quantify and measure. as psychology is a science, the idea that something without a physical presence can affect behaviour is at odds with the discipline
E - this means that a resolution of the debate is not currently likely, however, if at some point in the future measurement becomes possible, the scientific discipline of psychology may be able to resolve the debate
L - therefore, the current argument is that free will is not measurable because it does not exist
P - research conflicting the notion of free will from libert
E - found that brain activity determines what we perceive to be the choices
E - participants could choose whether to press a button with the left or right hand, brain activity was monitored and showed that the brain activity occurred 10 seconds before participants were consciously aware of making the decision
L - this suggests that our most basic experiences of free well are determined by our brain before we become aware of them
what is determinism?
- determinism proposes that we do not have conscious control over our thoughts and behaviour, instead our behaviour is controlled by internal or external factors acting upon us
what is hard determinism?
- hard determinism is the view that everything that we think are do is dictated by internal or external forces that we cannot consciously control
- our behaviour has a cause and therefore can’t be predicted as there is no free will
- this is an extreme position, however, it is compatible with the aims of science - to uncover the causal explanations that govern thoughts and behaviour
what is soft determinism?
- soft determinism is a version of determinism that allows for some element of free will
- it acknowledges that all human action has a cause, and also suggests that this does not detract from the freedom we have to make conscious choices in everyday situations
- this version of determinism became an important feature of the cognitive approach, as our thoughts determine how we behave, yet we do have some control over our thoughts as we can choose to change them or filled them out
what is biological determinism?
- the belief advocated by the biological approach that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control
topic link for example of biological determinism
- MAOA gene is inherited, an individual does not have control over it, the faulty gene causes the aggression
what is environmental determinism?
- the belief advocated by the behavioural approach that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment) that we cannot control
topic link for example of environmental determinism
- little albert and white rat , caused to have the phobia
what is psychic determinism?
- the belief advocated by the psychodynamic approach that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control
topic link for example of psychic determinism
- tripartite theory, we are born with the id compulsive instinct and our behaviour is determined by the strength of the ego (consequences/reality) or super ego (morals)
- people with a weak super ego are caused to act in immoral ways
what is the scientific emphasis on causal explanations?
- a basic principle of science is that every event has a cause, and that causes can be explained using general laws
- this scientific emphasis on causal of explanations allows scientists to predict and control events in the future
- hence in psychology, the lab experiment is often seen as ideal as it allows researchers to control extraneous variables to establish cause an effect which then allows psychologist to predict uncontrol human behaviour (eg causes of mental illnesses to prevent or treat them)
strengths of determinism
P - one advantage of determinism and the scientific emphasis on coastal explanations is that it has led to a number of practical applications
E - for example, the theory that schizophrenia was caused by an over transmission of dopamine led to the development of antipsychotic medication to block D2 receptors
E - these have been effective in reducing symptoms of schizophrenia
L - this suggests an emphasis on cause and effect has enabled researchers to predict and control events to benefit real peoples lives
P - supporting evidence from libet
E - found that brain activity determines what we perceive to be the choices
E - participants could choose whether to press a button with the left or right hand, brain activity was monitored and showed that the brain activity occurred 10 seconds before participants were consciously aware of making the decision
L - this suggests that our most basic experiences of free well are determined by our brain before we become aware of them
limitations of determinism
P - a problem with both biological and environmental determinism is that neither internal nor external forces on their own are likely to explain all behaviour
E/E - for example, twin studies have found MZ twins (have an identical genetic make up) have concordance rate around 40% for schizophrenia compared to only 7% for DZ (share 50% of the same genes)
L - the fact that concordance rates are not 100% in MZ twins suggests genes alone do not entirely determine these behaviours
E - HOWEVER these studies do show genes seem to play a significant part in these behaviours and therefore, the environment cannot be the sole determining factor in these behaviours either
P - one problem with determinist explanations of behaviour is that they are often incompatible with the legal system
E/E - for example, research into the role of MAOA gene in aggression argues that we may be somehow pre-programmed to be aggressive and therefore have no free will over our aggressive behaviour
L - this is a problem as it may be seen as wrong for the legal system to then find people responsible for their aggressive behaviour if it was not something under their conscious control
what is the middle ground between the free will and determinism debate?
- the interactionist approach
what is the interactionist approach?
- the interactionist approach to explaining behaviour might provide the best compromise in the free-will determinism debate
- approaches in psychology that incorporate elements of both sides of the debate such as social learning theory might offer a more ‘soft determinist’ position whereby we are strongly influenced by environmental factors outside of our control (eg watching aggressive role models) whilst also having a cognitive element (mediational processes which argue we are free to choose who or what to attend to, and when to perform certain behaviours)
topic link for example of interactionist approach
- diathesis stress model suggests that a genetic predisposition (biological determinism) and environmental stressors (environmental determinism) both make it more likely that we will develop schizophrenia but it is not guaranteed
