QUESTION

Present a detailed and thorough explanation how the content of the assigned chapter connects to the decision problems, and identifies decision problems that fall within the purview of the challenges or biases associated with rational decision making as discussed in the assigned chapter and video. Excellent examples and resources support thinking.

RESOURCES

Assigned Chapter:

Hastie, R., & Dawes, R. M. (2010). Rational choice in an uncertain world (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Chapter 6

problem: Note that you have already solved this problem for me in week 1

How Do You Make Decisions?

Everyone makes decisions. Therefore, everyone is a decision maker. Most students who make it to a doctoral program are probably quite good at making decisions, even if they are not able to articulate how they go about making their decisions.

In this course, you will read about theories regarding how people make decisions and how they should make decisions. Before you can be influenced by such theories, this week's Assignment will challenge you to make decisions based on your typical decision-making process. As the course progresses, you will refer back to these decisions to see if your decision making is influenced by common biases of which you may not even be aware.

Begin this assignment by watching your assigned "Let's Make Decisions!" multimedia piece. Respond as requested in the text boxes within the media. As you move through the assignment, do not try too hard. Do not search the Internet. Do not ask other people for their opinions. Just approach and make these decisions the way you typically do. Be sure to record your thought processes as you complete each decision problem, and reflect on what you did and why.

If you approach the assignment in this way and really focus on your decision-making process, it will help you during the rest of this course. It will help you to understand the usefulness of decision-making theories.

Solve the decision problems in the multimedia piece, "Let's Make Decisions!" Be sure you write down your thought processes as you complete each decision problem. Reflect on what you did and why.

When you are finished with the multimedia piece, the final screen will appear. Click the Print your answers button, and a print dialogue box will appear. At the bottom of the box, click the dropdown menu next to PDF. Select Save as PDF. You will then need to select a location for your file on your computer and click Save.

Submit both the PDF of your decision problem results as well as a separate document containing your written reflections for each decision problem. Please see the Assignments area for specific instructions on how to submit multiple files.

Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.