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Controversies in Psychology

To be able to explain types of determinism with examples and arguments in favour of determinism

Free Will and Determinism

We choose our Our behaviour is behaviour caused by something

Definition of free-will

• Free-will is the ability of humans to choose their actions without being constrained by internal (biological) or external (environmental) factors. In this sense potential influences on our behaviour can be rejected ‘at will’ provided we are not coerced (forced against our will). (William James 1890)

Definition of determinism

• Determinism is the belief that every physical event has been caused by factors which could be identified through science. Behaviour is therefore caused by internal/external factors which could be predicted and controlled

Determinism

Biological/genetic Environmental

(Nature/nurture basically, innit?!) or internal/external

There is also Psychic Determinism used in Psychodynamic theory

Working in pairs find examples from either AS or A2 to show………

• How we are biologically determined• How we are psychically determined• How we are determined by our environment

Examples in favour of determinism

• Genetic – genetic links in Alzheimer’s disease, depression.

• Biological – Hormones can influence behaviour e.g testosterone has been linked to aggression.

• Environmental – Behaviourists view all behaviour as determined by external forces e.g classical/operant conditioning. Milgram’s pps determined by the situation they were in.

• Psychic – Freud’s Anna O, Little Hans

Why is it a controversy in Psychology?

• The subject is debated because on the one hand people feel as through they are free to choose their actions but on the other, if psychologists believe that ‘laws’ of behaviour can be discovered then they must be determinists.

• Would Milgram have done his research if he thought behaviour was random and unpredictable?

1. Psychology is a science

• Can free will exist in a universe governed by physical laws? If Psychology is a science then does it not propose laws governing behaviour? We are looking for cause and effect relationships in experiments - meaning that we believe behaviour can be predicted and eventually even controlled

But - What about chaos theory ? See Dennett (2003) pg 78.

2. Biological/genetic determinism

• If we agree that we are entirely biological beings with no mystical ‘soul’ then we should accept that we are determined by brain function. Brain scanning technology can now predict simple decisions……But it is unlikely that we will be able to accurately predict all behaviour from brain activity any time soon.

• Twin/adoption/family studies are used to identify behaviour which may be genetically determined e.g schizophrenia..But there is never 100% concordance between traits

3. Arguments for determinism

• What is it that does the willing?• If a criminal says it was not my fault it was my

brain malfunctioning then who or what is ‘my’ or ‘me’ ?

• We either have to believe in a separate mind or soul which does the choosing or……..

• Ridley (2003) discovered that if the limbic system is removed in an animal they fail to initiate action.

Limbic System

Starter

• Relate these concepts below to the free-will/determinism debate.

• Id/ego/superego• Positive reinforcement• Fundamental attribution error• Obedience and conformity• Genotype/Phenotype

• Objectives:-• Understand the meaning of ‘Free-

will’• Be able to explain evidence in

favour of the existence of free-will.

1. Arguments for free-will

• ‘We know the will is free; and there is an end to it’ Dr Samuel Johnson (18th century)

• Our subjective experience strongly suggests we are able to choose. This is hard to ignore.

• However this does not mean that free-will is not an illusion as suggested by Skinner and Freud.

2. Self-determination

• It seems clear that people can make choices and determine the course of their lives.

• However… this belief has been linked more with individualist cultures rather than collectivist cultures. Both Skinner and Freud maintained that we could have the illusion of free-will but still be determined. Rotter (1966) sense of self-determination is important for health.

3. Arguments for Free-willWho is to blame then?

• Moral responsibility - We cannot punish people for crimes if they can claim they did not choose to do it.

• What types of determinism are used in these various excuses for committing crime?

• It was my hormones (PMT)• I was ‘born to kill’• I was only following orders• I could not deny my basic instincts• It was my disadvantaged background• See the article on Neuro Law.

Experiment

• You will be shown a timer, counting down from 60s to 0s.– At a time of your choosing, tap on the desk with

your pen.– Record the time at which you decided to tap on

the desk

Research study – Benjamin Libet (1985)

• Draw around your own hand on a blank piece of paper

• Now write in each finger the APFCC of Libet’s study in your own words briefly

Libet’s (1985) study of voluntary action

350ms

Onset of readiness potential

Action carried out

PP reports intention to act

electrical brain activity

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• What does Libet’s finding imply about the role of conscious choice in behaviour?

Evaluating Libet’s Study

• Objective attempt at investigating free will. • The use of revolving spot has proved useful in measuring

actual decisions. • Critics say that the decision to flex their wrist was not

comparable to everyday spontaneous decisions.• Sceptics say the results are not surprising and to believe

that some sort of force acts on the brain is like believing in magic.

• Libet suggests the brain must initiate action and can generate many possible ways of behaving– Free will is the ‘chooser’

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The homunculus problemThis is called an infinite regress. It is bad.

Libet’s position requires a ‘chooser’ to decide how we

act

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Soft Determinism

• A cop-out by Rogers?• Opposite to ‘Hard

determinism which states that everything

has a cause and that no behaviour is random.

Soft Determinism• A fully functioning

personfreely choosesthat which isabsolutely determined

SD basically says that if we believe we have consciously chosen an action, then essentially that is free will (even if there are actually causal factors that determined that choice ‘behind the scenes’ – i.e. that led-up to that ‘free choice’).

Over to you !

• They say there is a special place in hell for debating free-will and determinism !

• Will it ever be solved? • Debate

• Write an essay based on our plan.