clear thinking

What makes a decision good?

ICS 392 Clear Thinking Assignment 3

The research that shows that most people are prone to decision errors (such as anchoring,

reasoning by representativeness and availability, and susceptibility to framing) has been

criticized for using trick questions to make people look stupid. The researchers themselves

argue that they are trying to understand how people think, and that by making people aware

of the possibility of decision errors, people will make better decisions.

To them, a better decision is one that is based on facts, leads to greater long term utility,

and would not change if the situation was described differently.

Do you agree or disagree with these criteria for a good decision? What, if anything, would

you change or add? Think back to a major decision that you’ve made. Was this decision

easy or difficult? Do you think decision errors of the kind we’ve discussed played a role?

3 typed pages, due next week.