FREE WILL and DETERMINISM

What is this debate? AO1

the consideration whether our behaviour is within our conscious control or governed by internal/external factors

What is free will? AO1

the idea that we play an active role and have a choice in how we behave (self-determination)

What does free will accept? AO1

Accepts that other factors can influence behaviour but that we can simply choose to ignore/reject them

What is free will most commonly linked to in psychology? AO1

Humanistic Approach

What is determinism? AO1

idea that our behaviour is shaped by internal or external forces that we have no control over

What does determinism believe about free will? AO1

believes free will is an illusion

What are the three main types of determinism? AO1

1. Biological

2. Environmental

3. Psychic

What is biological determinism? AO1

idea that all behaviour is innate and cause by biological influences (genes, hormones)

What is an example of behaviours that are linked to biological determinism? AO1

-given one specific example

Range of psychological disorders—> such as Schizophrenia

Why are psychological disorders biologically determined? AO1

are physiological processes within the nervous system, and so neurotransmitters can be used to explain behaviours

How is schizophrenia an example of biological determinism? AO1

high levels of neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain is linked to schizophrenia

What is environmental determinism? AO1

idea that all behaviour is caused by forces outside the individual that cannot be controlled (i.e. conditioning and past experinces)

What is an example of environmental determinism in psychology? AO1

Behaviourist Psychologists, e.g. Skinner, said all behaviour was as a result of conditioning and past experiences

What is psychic determinism? AO1

idea that all behaviour is caused by childhood experiences, innate drives and unconscious fears

What is an example of psychic determinism in psychology?

Freud’s Psychodynamic Approach

How is Freud’s psychodynamic approach psychic determinism? AO1

he suggested that offending behaviour in an individual is dependent upon the development of the individuals superego

weak, underdeveloped superego= inconsistent relationship with same sex parent growing up

What is soft determinism? AO1

idea that all behaviour has a cause but that people have conscious mental control over the way they behave

What is meant by the scientific emphasis on causal explanations? AO1

-psychologists control all extraneous and confounding variables

-so they can be certain that any changes in the DV are due to the manipulation of the IV

-use of control enables psychologists to infer causality (cause-effect relationship)

What is one strength of determinism? AO3

+ve: Determinism is Consistent with the Aims of Science

Researchers use lab experiments to control extraneous variables so that causes of behaviours can be established. This allows psychologists to infer causality from the research, therefore allowing them to establish general laws

This has led to the development of treatments, for example anti-depressant drug treatments for depression

Thus in turn raising psychologies credibility as a science

What is one weakness of determinism? AO3

-ve: Determinism has implications for our legal system

This is because in a court if law, offenders are held morally accountable for their actions as it is assumed the offenders chose to commit offences of their own free will

Determinism causes problems as it removes free will as a factor, thus raising the question of who is responsible for the crime

Therefore deterministic views cannot be applied to all real-world situations

What is a strength of free will? AO3

+ve: Applied to Real-world Situations

This is because our everyday lives highlight how we are constantly exercising free will through our choices

For example, choosing what to wear or eat of a morning to start the day

This therefore gives face validity to the concept of free will, proving that it is a good explanation

What is one weakness of free will? AO3

-ve: Concept is Not Supported by Scientific Studies

This is because neurological studies have found evidence against free will existing during decision making tasks.

For example, researchers found that activity in the brain, relating to what hand is needed to press the button, occurs up to 10 seconds before ppts report being consciously aware of making such a decision

Therefore shows that basic experiences of free will are decided and determined

What is the compromise for the free will vs determinism debate? AO3

Psychologists believe we should adopt an Interactionist Approach and consider both free will and determinism

This concept is known as soft determinism

An example in psychology of soft determinism is Social Learning Theory (SLT), this was developed by Bandura

SLT suggests that our behaviour is influenced by our environment but we are free to choose what behaviour to imitate and what to ignore