Section B G544 DEBATES: Determinism vs Freewill Slide 2 Possible
Exam Questions Outline the determinism vs freewill debate (4) (What
does determinism assume? What does freewill assume? What is the
debate?) Describe two pieces of research that highlight the debate
(8) (one study which supports determinism and one theory/study
which supports freewill). Discuss the strengths and limitations of
explaining behaviour in a deterministic way (12) (PEC x4).
Determinism is a main issue that arises when studying behaviour
from the nature and nurture debate. Explain, why using examples of
nature/nurture studies (8) (Point, Comment, Evidence, Comment x2)
Use one nature study and one nurture study to show how determinism
is LINKED to this debate. Discuss how research on
determinism/freewill is useful in our understanding of everyday
life (8) Determinism is a main issue that arises when studying
behaviour from the physiological perspective. Explain, why using
examples from any physiological studies (8 marks). Slide 3 What are
the assumptions? Determinism assumes that: A persons actions are
controlled by forces outside of their control. These forces can be
internal or external. Behaviour is therefore predictable. Behaviour
is therefore controllable. A person is therefore not responsible
for their own actions. Free will assumes that: A person has control
over their behaviour, so in any situation they could decide to act
differently. A person is therefore responsible for their own
actions. A persons behaviour is therefore not predictable. Slide 4
There are different types of determinism Slide 5 Hard Determinism
Two key assumptions in hard determinism these are : 1)No action or
behaviour is free, therefore there is no such thing as freewill; it
is an illusion. 2) Every human action has a cause one action is
performed rather than another. EXAMPLE: Slide 6 Biological
determinism This is behaviour that is determined by factors inside
ourselves. This could be inherited behaviour, inherited through
genes. This links in with hard determinism EXAMPLE: Slide 7 Soft
Determinism Argues peoples behaviour is a direct result of the
environment. BUT only to a certain extent. There is an element of
free will in all behaviour yet it is controlled by outside forces.
Behaviour maybe highly constrained by the situation or moderately
constrained by the situation. EXAMPLE: Slide 8 Psychological
theories and Free will Humanistic approach - believes humans are
unique and plan their own actions. Humanists argue that regarding
behaviour as determined is dehumanising. Rogers difficult decisions
make us unique. Maslow hierarchy of needs. Slide 9 What is the
debate? The debate is between whether our behaviour is determined
(or decided) by factors outside our control e.g. biology such as
genes and hormones or situational factors, such as the environment
OR whether individuals are free to choose how to behave. Slide 10
Describe two pieces of evidence that are deterministic (8 marks)
(Think of 1 AS and 1 A2 study and how they link to this debate)
Freud Ohman Slide 11 How is determinism linked to. Behaviourist
Psychodynamic Biological Cognitive Slide 12 StrengthsWeaknesses
Free will Fits in with societies view of individual responsibility.
Emphasis on the individual. Fits in with societies view of
individual responsibility. Suggests behaviour is free and
undetermined by our past Means that behaviour cannot be predicted
or objectively measured The concept of free will may be culturally
relative. Cannot be tested- free will can be situational.
Unscientific No clear definition of the term free will Determinis m
Deterministic approach is more scientific. It isolates variables
and tries to examine them under scientific conditions. Society is
then more willing to accept these findings. Emphasis on cause and
effect= make the world more understandable and predictable= could
be worthwhile in trying to change certain things in society
Deterministic views imply we can predict behaviour this is mostly
not the case Deterministic views do not account for anomalies or
individual differences Leaves us with no responsibility for our own
actions Reductionist General evaluation It is difficult to separate
whether human behaviour is caused by freewill/determinism as
sometimes it is a combination of both. Both viewpoints on its own
are reductionist as they limit behaviour to one explanation. The
freewill/determinism debate is reductionist in that the freewill
debate says all behaviour is determined by the individual in
control of their behaviour whereas the deterministic debate says
that our surroundings and or biology can determine our behaviour
and development. Slide 13 Essay planning task: Dont forget your
counterargument Slide 14 12 Mark Question Here are some
possibilities: 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the
freewill/determinism debate? (12 marks) 2. What are the strengths
and weaknesses of explaining behaviour from a freewill viewpoint?
(12 marks) 3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of explaining
behaviour from a deterministic viewpoint? (12 marks) You need 2
strengths and 2 weaknesses with EVIDENCE. The structure should be
PCEC Slide 15 What are the strengths of a deterministic approach?
PA deterministic approach emphasises cause & effect which can
help us understand and interpret the world more easily. C This is a
strength because E C Slide 16 What are the weaknesses of a
deterministic approach? PDeterministic explanations are
reductionist as they reduce complex human behaviour down to simple
explanations. C This is a weakness because E C Slide 17 What are
the strengths of a deterministic approach? PA deterministic
approach is more scientific. It isolates variables and tries to
examine them under scientific conditions. Society is then more
willing to accept these findings. C This is a strength because E C
Slide 18 What are the weaknesses of a deterministic approach? P C
This is a weakness because E C Slide 19 Other Essay Plans: Slide 20
Discuss whether deterministic explanations are useful in our
everyday life (8 marks) Point: The deterministic approach helps to
look at cause and effect within studies which can then lead to
suitable practical applications such as therapies for the
individuals. Comment: Evidence: Comment: Slide 21 Discuss whether
deterministic explanations are not useful in our everyday life (8
marks) Point: Deterministic explanations can lead to ethical
problems as behaviour is assumed to be outside the control of the
individual. This has implications as to how the individual explains
the crime he/she has committed. Comment: Evidence: Comment: Slide
22 A possible out of the box question can come up in Section B e.g.
Determinism is a main issue that arises when studying behaviour
from the physiological perspective. Explain why, using examples
from any physiological studies (8 marks). You need to mention a
range of physiological studies from both AS and A2 and show how
they link to determinism. POINT EVIDENCE COMMENT X 2 Why is it
important to include AS and A2 studies? This paper is synoptic,
therefore you must demonstrate knowledge from throughout the whole
course and including both ensures this.
