Free Will & Determinism (AQA A Level Psychology): Flashcards
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Define free will.
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Define free will.
Free will is the idea that humans are self-determining and can exercise control over their behaviour through choice, so behaviour is not determined by biological or external forces.
Define determinism.
Determinism is the view that behaviour is governed by internal or external forces that are beyond an individual's control.
Which approach is the only one that truly encompasses free will?
The humanistic approach is the only one that truly encompasses free will, seeing the individual at the heart of their destiny, actively making decisions and shaping their life.
Name two components of the humanistic approach that exemplify free will.
Components that exemplify free will include:
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Rogers' client-centred therapy
unconditional positive regard
self-actualisation
Why is free will argued to be essential to what it means to be human?
People living in dictatorships cannot fully exercise free will, which negatively affects their well-being and sense of self, making free will one of the most valuable assets a person can have.
Problems concepts such as self-actualisation mean that the theory of free will lacks reliability.
Problems operationalising concepts such as self-actualisation mean that the theory of free will lacks reliability.
Why might free will be an ethnocentric concept?
Free will may be incompatible with cultures that value community and duty over individualism, so the theory lacks cultural relativism.
Define hard determinism.
Hard determinism assumes that behaviour is always caused by internal or external events beyond our control, explained by general causal laws, leaving no room for free will.
True or False?
Skinner declared that free will is an 'illusion'.
True.
Skinner, an early behaviourist, showed the attitude of hard determinism by declaring that free will is an 'illusion'.
Define soft determinism.
Soft determinism is a middle position between hard determinism and free will: all behaviour has causes, but cognitive factors such as thoughts, emotions and reflection mediate them, so people have some conscious control in the absence of coercion.
How does the concept of schema illustrate soft determinism?
A person's schema is dictated to some extent by external factors, but the individual still exercises some control over how it develops, which is why the cognitive approach is an example of soft determinism.
Define biological determinism.
Biological determinism assumes that biological processes beyond our control cause behaviour, e.g. neurotransmission, hormones, genes and evolutionary influences.
True or False?
Localisation of function is an example of environmental determinism.
False.
Localisation of function is an example of biological determinism, as it links specific behaviours to particular brain regions and structures.
Define environmental determinism.
Environmental determinism is based on the principles of conditioning: behaviour is caused by features of the environment such as systems of reward and punishment experienced via parents, teachers and institutions.
economies are a good example of environmental determinism because they use external rewards to motivate behaviour change.
Token economies are a good example of environmental determinism because they use external rewards to motivate behaviour change.
Define psychic determinism.
Psychic determinism is the idea that humans are controlled by internal, unconscious drives derived from repressed conflicts.
How does Freud's study of Little Hans illustrate psychic determinism?
Freud concluded that Hans's horse phobia was caused by his Oedipus complex, an unconscious conflict from the psychosexual stages of development.
Why is determinism consistent with the features of science?
Determinism assumes behaviour has a cause and that observable behaviour should be measured objectively in lab experiments, making its methods high in reliability.
Give an example of a behaviour that appears to be determined, not freely chosen.
Behaviours that appear determined include:
PTSD after exposure to war, abuse or neglect
phobias produced by conditioning, e.g. a child bitten by a dog
major depressive disorder linked to genetics or neurochemical imbalances
Why can deterministic explanations be difficult to test?
Causes may be complex, indirect or not directly observable, and unexpected behaviour can make causal explanations look overly flexible, so determinism relies on inferred causes and may offer only a partial account.
Why do psychologists emphasise causal explanations of behaviour?
Humans are unpredictable and prone to change, so researchers aim to establish general laws of behaviour using scientific methods, on the principle that every action has a root cause.
How do lab experiments establish causal explanations?
A manipulated independent variable under controlled conditions is used to measure its effect on the dependent variable, with statistical analysis and standardised procedures moving towards cause and effect.
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