Free will + determinism

• Free will

  The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
• Determinism

  The view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal/external forces rather than an individuals will to something
• Hard determinism

  Implies that free will is not possible as our behaviour is always caused by internal/external events beyond our control
• Soft determinism

  All events, including human behaviour, have causes, but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion
• Biological determinism

  The belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control
• Environmental determinism

  The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment) that we cannot control
• Psychic determinism

  The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we cannot control
• Strength of free will - practical value

  Roberts et al

  Looked at adolescents who had strong belief in fatalism - that their lives were 'decided' by events outside of their control.

  Study found the adolescents who were fatalist were at significantly greater risk of developing depression.

  People who have an external locus of control are less likely to be optimistic.

  Suggests if you believe you have free will it will have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.

  high internal validity
• Limitation of free will - research evidence

  Brain scan evidence doesn't support free will but does support determinism.

  Libet et al

  Instructed participants to choose a random moment to flick their wrist while he measured brain activity

  Participants had to say when they found the conscious will to move.

  Found that unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision came half a second before.

  Could suggest our most basic experiences of free will are determined by our brain before you are aware of them.
• Counterpoint - research evidence

  Doesn't mean that there was no decision to act.

  Means that the decision took time to reach consciousness

  Suggest not appropriate challenge of free will.
• Limitation of determinism - the law

  Hard determinist suggests that individual choice is not the cause of behaviour.

  Not consistent with the legal system.

  Offenders are held responsible for their actions and they have exercised their free will to commit crime.

  Suggests real world determinist arguments do not work.
• limitation of free will - illusion

  • a person may choose to do something but they are determined by previous reinforcement contingencies as suggested by the behaviourist approach.
  • this is a hard deterministic stance
• strength of free will - good face validity

  • in everyday scenarios we appear to be making our own decisions
• limitation of determinism - genetic determinism

  • 100% genetic determinism unlikely to be found for any behaviour
  • studies on MZ twins found 80% similarity for intelligence and 40% for depression.
  • suggests genes do not entirely determine behaviour
  • higher concordance rates could be due to sharing the same environment
• limitation of determinism - simplifies behaviour

  • human behaviour is less rigid and influenced by many factors.
  • e.g. cognitive factors.