The Science of Decision Making
Essentially, a decision is a choice among possibilities. It involves assessment of the courses of action available and a determination of the action ( or nonaction) to take. A decision occurs when a person with an unfulfilled need takes an action to satisfy that need or Desire. Intuitively, “a good” decision is one that selects the best available course of action in the face of uncertainty about the consequences. Why is there uncertainty? because decision making does not necessarily have all the relevant information in hand. You can't by logic alone weigh having coffee with friends against the library session. Will having coffee with friends end on a pleasant note for the future? Will the reading prove relevant to what’s asked on the exam ? You can't know the definitive answers to these questions at the time you have to make your decision. Some decisions are easy to make and indeed may not even feel like decisions because the choice seems so obvious. There is ofte...