Free will vs Determinism Debate Determinism is the

Free will vs Determinism Debate

Determinism is the idea that behaviour is controlled by external or internal factors acting on the individual. Is free will an illusion? Free will is the belief that our behaviour is governed by our own choices.

Causal Explanation • The ability to explain a phenomenon in terms of the causes that made it happen.

Why does this debate matter? • There is a scientific emphasis on causal explanations • Psychology aims to explain events by their causes. • If something has a cause then it must be possible to provide a causal explanation for the phenomenon. • An independent variable is manipulated to observe the causal effect on the dependent variable. • Knowing the causes of things helps us make predictions of what will happen in certain conditions.

In order to be considered scientific psychology must emphasise causal explanations

Example • From the work of Milgram we could say that obedient behaviour is determined by situational factors such as a legitimate authority. • We could also say that obedience is determined by internal factors such as having an external locus of control. • If we view behaviour as being determined by genes then we could say someone was 'born to kill'.

The Problem with Deterministic Explanations. They tend to oversimplify human behaviour. Eysenck believed personality traits were biologically determined. This can be seen in the EPQ This suggests such traits are consistent over time and situations and therefore, enable us to be able to predict how someone will act. However, this oversimplifies personality traits that can have many determining factors. In this way determinism relates to reductionism.

Eysenck’s personality Theory is biologically deterministic Extroversion – cortical under-arousal Introversion – Cortical over-arousal Neuroticism – threshold of activation of fight or flight. Psychoticism – linked to high levels of testosterone. These are genetically determined.

Types of Determinism - find the correct key term Hard determinism Soft determinism Biological determinism The determinist explanations that states there is no room for free will. Some elements of behaviour are determined and some are open to free will. However, there are constraints on free will because of determining factors. Our behaviour is determined by biological factors such as genes, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, hormones. Environmental determinism Our behaviour is determined by our environment. This Psychic determinism could be role models, direct reinforcement/punishment, stimulus response connections. The belief that our behaviour is determined by the unconscious. This is a psychodynamic explanation and can be linked to the psyche id, ego, superego.

Is there any such thing as total determinism? • It can be argued that human behaviour is influenced by too many variables to be truly deterministic. This is one of the arguments for saying that the study of behaviour cannot be a not a science. • However, it can be argued that the physical sciences are not truly deterministic as random events lead to different outcomes in the same situations. • So causal relationships are probabilistic rather than determinist.

Free Will • Psychological theories are deterministic. • Humanistic psychology believes we can truly grow as an individual if we are controlled by outside factors. • Therefore self-Determinism is necessary to allow personal growth and self-actualisation. • Otherwise we will not take responsibility for our behaviour. • Determinism and free will have strong implications for moral accountability.

Research • We have a sense of free will. • Neuroscience is a threat to our belief of free will. • If we understand the brain we can fully predict the behaviour as we understand how the brain will react to certain environmental circumstances. • Research has found that firing of a neuron is probabilistic not definite. • ENTER FREE WILL

Questions • 1. Outline the concept of free will (2) • 2. Explain the difference between hard Determinism and soft determinism (4) • 3. Explain why science places an emphasis on causal explanations (3)

Q 1 • Free will is the idea that we have the power to make our own choices about our behaviour. Individuals have an active role in controlling their behaviour and are not acting in response to internal (biological) or external (environmental) pressures.

Q 2 • Hard determinism is the view that all behaviour can be predicted and that there is no free will. So hard determinism excludes the possibility of free will. Soft determinism does not exclude the possibility of free will but believes that free will is possible under the constraints of determined factors. So soft determinism believes that some aspects components are determined such as inherited characteristics but others are not. Hard determinism argues that all components of human behaviour are determined.

Q 3 • Science places emphasis on causal explanations as it is important that, through scientific research, predictions can be made about events. This means we can explain phenomenon in terms of what causes it to happen. Without causal explanations we would not be able to predict what would happen in certain situations and therefore there would be no point in carrying out research. For example research by Loftus and Palmer told us that memory is affected by leading questions. The leading questions caused memory for an even to be changed. This causal explanation allows us to make predictions about the behaviour of eye witnesses.