Active learning ideas
The Free Will and Determinism debate is a cornerstone of psychological philosophy. Students explore the tension between the belief that we are self-directed agents and the scientific pursuit of identifying the causes of behaviour. The AQA specification requires an understanding of various forms of determinism, including biological, environmental, and psychic, as well as the distinction between hard and soft determinism.
Activity 01
Students act out a courtroom scenario where a defendant claims their crime was determined by biological or environmental factors. The 'prosecution' must argue for free will and moral responsibility, while the 'jury' decides the verdict based on psychological evidence.
Are human beings truly free to choose their actions?
Activity 02
Set up stations for Biological, Environmental, and Psychic determinism. At each station, small groups must find one piece of research evidence that supports that view and one argument against it, rotating every ten minutes.
What are the implications of biological determinism?
Activity 03
Students work in pairs to analyse the findings of Libet's brain activity studies. They must create a visual flow-chart that explains how the results support a determinist view and then write a counter-argument from a free-will perspective.
How does the legal system view free will and moral responsibility?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Soft determinism is just a 'weak' version of free will.
Soft determinism is actually a middle ground that suggests all behaviour has a cause, but humans have the conscious mental control to choose how to act within those constraints. Using a think-pair-share approach helps students distinguish between 'having no choice' and 'having limited choices'.
If we accept determinism, we can't punish criminals.
Even if behaviour is determined, the legal system often uses punishment as a 'zeitgeber' or environmental deterrent. Structured debates help students see that determinism and social order can coexist, even if the philosophical justification changes.
Methods used in this brief
Gender and Culture in Psychology
Students examine alpha and beta bias in psychological research. They will also evaluate ethnocentrism and the importance of cultural relativism.
8 methodologies
The Nature-Nurture Debate
Students investigate the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour. The interactionist approach is highlighted as a modern synthesis of this classic debate.
8 methodologies