Decision Making

     We as humans solve problems in many simple, yet complex ways. Have you ever wanted to just get something done so you rushed your way through? Looking for the easiest or fastest way to get something or go somewhere. This method is called heuristics. For example, so you are hosting an open house for your friend but you forgot to make the punch. Do you go down every isle looking for the specific kind of punch you want or do you go to the spot where it most likely would be? Although the method of heuristics is faster and easier it may not always be accurate.

     The other method that we use is algorithms. Algorithms are a step by step procedure that is a guaranteed way to find that punch you are looking for. By going down every isle one by one there’s no way you could miss it or not find it. Although they do take longer than heuristics its always better to be safe than sorry.

    Have you ever wanted to go to Florida but one of your friends just insisted on taking that long drive rather than a plane, claiming its ‘safer’ when more car accidents happen than plane crashes? This is called availability heuristics. When you think of a plane the image of 9/11 might come to mind and not the daily car crashes you hear on the news.

     We also sometimes let our beliefs hide the truth which we know but won’t willing admit. Even when proven wrong we still hold on to these beliefs this is called belief perseverance. Have you ever watched a football game and your team scored a touchdown but they were still down by seven points, and there was only two minutes left in the game? You still believed they would win because they scored a touchdown and ignored the fact that there was two minutes left in the game and your team lost the ball. This is called confirmation bias. You ignored the contradictory evidence because your team scored a touchdown. Could the way you chose to solve a problem relate to your personality?

Hambrick, David "Thinking and Language" Psychology 101. Wells Hall, East Lansing. November 18,2016. Lecture.

C.C.