Final answer:
Psychologists who emphasize the role of genes or culture in shaping behavior are reinforcing the belief in determinism, the concept that behaviors are predetermined by genetic or environmental factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
When psychologists point to the influence of genes or of culture on behavior, they are reinforcing the fundamental belief in determinism. This philosophical concept is the belief that all events, including moral choices, are determined completely by previously existing causes. In psychology, it is often discussed in the context of behavior being shaped and controlled either by an individual's genetic makeup or by environmental factors. The field of sociobiology, for example, is concerned with the ways genes influence behaviors and is often associated with biological determinism, the concept that all behaviors are encoded into our genes.
Behaviorism, another psychological perspective that emphasizes the influence of the environment on behavior, is also deterministic at its core. It asserts that behaviors are the result of genetics and learning within one's environment. Empiricism, on the other hand, is a philosophy emphasizing evidence and experience which underlies the scientific method used in psychological research. Nonetheless, determinism is the most fitting term to describe the belief that genetics or culture irrevocably shape behavior.