Summary Paper 3 plans psychology aqa a level

Paper 3 plans psychology aqa a level PAPER 3 PLANS ISSUES AND DEBATES DISCUSS THE FREE WILL AND DETERMINISM DEBATE. REFER TO 2 TOPICS LEARNT AO1 FREE WILL: • HUMAN BEINGS are SELF- DTEREMINING- can CONTROL/ SHAPE our behaviours • Take responsibility for our actions- e.g. HUMANISTIC APPROACH- can bring change by learning to deal with situations differently- when psychological barriers removed- work towards SELF ACTUALISATION • Belief in free will doesn’t deny there may be environmental/ biological forces exerting influence on behaviour- we are able to RJEECT THESE FORCES as the masters of our own destiny • Inconsistent with aims of science: sciences based on CAUSAL EXPLANATIONS- free will implies behaviours and thinking are non-determinist (sciences- aims to predict and control behaviour) DETERMINISM: • Free will has no place in explaining behaviour- all human behaviour results from either internal/ external forces not under our conscious control- all behaviour has CAUSE so can be PREDICTED and CONTROLLED • HARD- fatalism- all behaviour has a cause- free will ILLUSION- identify and describe these causes- everything we do is dictated by external/ internal forces- CANNOT CONTROL FORCES- compatible with SCIENCE- can be tested in experiment (IV MANIPULATIONS and DV) • SOFT- JAMES: important ft of COG APPROACH- some room for change in behaviour- we have conscious control over how we behave- FREEDOM to make RATIONAL CHOICES despite DETERMINING FOCRES- choice is limited by SCHEMA influenced by environment through experience BIOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PHSYICAL DETERMINISM: (attached to stem) • BIO DETERMINSIM- bio approach- mental health characteristics have genetic basis (e.g. hormone testosterone in aggression)- many neurological/ physiological processes not under conscious control – neurotransmitters, brain structure and hormone levels controlled by genes • ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM- SKINNER: free will is an ILLUSION- all behaviour result of CONDITIONING- REINFORCEMENT through life controls our choices- may think we are acting INDEPENDENTLY but behaviour is shaped by ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS/ AGENTS OF SOCIALISATION e.g. institutions, parents… • PSYCHIC DTEREMINISM- FREUD: like skinner- free will is an ILLUSION- placed more emphasis on psychic drives- determined by UNCONSCIOUS CONFLICTS REPRESSED in CHILDHOOD- fixations/ psychosexual stages- no such thing as an accident- even ‘SLIP OF THE TONGUE’ is underlying conscious e.g. homosexuality- phallic stage fixation THE SCIENTIFIC EMPHASIS ON CAUSAL EXPLANATAIONS: