CRITICAL THINK AND MAKING DECISIONS

HUMAN NATURE AND DECISION MAKING

• YOU MAKE DECISIONS EVERYDAY WITHOUT EVEN NOTICING IT, WHEN IT COMES TO CRITICAL THINKING MAKING DECISIONS ARE IMPORTANT NOT ONLY MAKING A DECISION BUT MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION.

• WHEN MAKING A DECISION YOU DEBATE A FEW THINGS SUCH AS "HOW WILL THIS BENEFIT ME?" "WHAT WILL THE OUTCOME BE? " "IS THERE A NEGATIVE SIDE TO MY DECISION?"

• US AS HUMANS MAKE DECISION AFTER DECISION ALL DAY LONG IT IS PART OF WHO WE ARE

• IN ORDER TO MAKE A DECISION ONE NEEDS INFORMATION TO HELP THEM MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

• WHEN MAKING A DECISION WE MUST TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACTORS THAT MADE US BELIEVE THAT THE DECISION WE MADE WAS THE CORRECT ONE.

INVOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING• THE FIRST WAY WE CAN MAKE A DECISION IS BY

INVOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING, AND THAT MEANS MAKING A DECISION WITHOUT THINKING IT THROUGH COMPLETELY AND JUST RESPONDING TO A SITUATION. A EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE GOING WITH YOUR "GUT" FEELING TO MAKE A DECISION INSTEAD OF THINKING TWICE ABOUT IT.

• INVOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A REFLEX. WHEN SOMEONE IS IN A SITUATION AND NEEDS TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION TO RESOLVE THE SITUATION HE OR SHE USES INVOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING AND JUST GOES WITH THE FLOW THE "QUICK FIX" TO THE SITUATION.

HIDDEN PERSUADERS IN INVOLUNTARY THINKING

• AT THE END OF THE DAY EVERY DECISION WE MAKE IS COMPLETELY ON US, HOWEVER THERE ARE TIMES WHERE WE GET PERSUADED TO MAKE A CERTAIN DECISION.

• "HIDDEN PERSUADERS" AFFECT THE DECISIONS WE MAKE A LOT.

• HIDDEN PERSUADERS ARE EVERYWHERE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE GOING TO A CAR DEALERSHIP. LETS SAY YOU DECIDE ITS TIME TO GET A NEW CAR AS SOON AS YOU GET TO THE DEALERSHIP YOU SEE A BRAND NEW CAR ON DISPLAY WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS AND POSTERS ADVERTISING THE CAR. YOU THINK TO YOURSELF THIS CAR MUST BE THE BEST ONE OUT THERE IF THEY ARE PUTTING IT ON DISPLAY LIKE THIS AND YOU DECIDE TO BUY IT. THAT IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF INVOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING.

VOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING

• VOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING IS WHEN ONE CLEARLY THINKS THE SITUATION THROUGH AND MAKES THE RIGHT DECISION BASED ON FACTS AND ENDING RESULTS. WHEN MAKING A VOLUNTARY DECISION YOU MUST LOOK AT ALL THE INFORMATION GIVEN TO YOU AND THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE.

• IN VOLUNTARY DECISION THE DECISION MAKER IS A ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN THE WHOLE PROCESS.

CREDIBLE SOURCES AND VOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING

• THERE ARE MANY WAYS A DECISION MAKER CAN BE INFLUENCED WHEN MAKING A DECISION.

• THE FIRST INFLUENCE IS CREDIBLE SOURCES WHICH ARE THE PEOPLE WE LOOK TO FOR HELP AND TRUST WHEN MAKING A DECISION. CREDIBLE SOURCES CAN BE FRIENDS, FAMILY, CO-WORKERS, ETC.

• EVEN THOUGH CREDIBLE SOURCES MAY NOT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE DECISION WE MUST MAKE WE LOOK TO THEM FOR ADVICE AND HELP.

PEER INFLUENCE AND VOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING

• ANOTHER INFLUENCE IN VOLUNTARY DECISION MAKING WOULD HAVE TO BE PEER INFLUENCE. PEER INFLUENCE OCCURS WHEN ONE SEEKS ACCEPTANCE BY OTHERS AND MAKES A DECISION THEY BELIEVE OTHERS WOULD APPROVE OF.

• PEER PRESSURE CAN MAKE A BIG IMPACT ON ONES DECISION. PEOPLE CAN BECOME VERY DEPENDENT ON OTHER PEOPLE WHEN MAKING A DECISION AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS THEN IT DOES NOT TRULY COUNT AS YOUR OWN DECISION.

• PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS WILL THINK OF THEM IF THEY MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS THAT IS WHY PEER INFLUENCE HAS SUCH A HUGE IMPACT ON OTHERS.

GROUPTHINK

• GROUPTHINK IS WHEN YOU GO ALONG AND AGREE WITH OTHERS DECISIONS TO AVOID CONFLICT. WE ALL AT ONE POINT IN OUR LIFE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF GROUPTHINK WOULD BE A THREE FRIENDS GO OUT TO EAT TWO OF THEM LIKE SUSHI BUT ONE OF THEM DOES NOT, HE OR SHE STILL GOES ALONG WITH THEM TO AVOID CONFLICT AND JUST GOES ALONG WITH WHAT THE GROUP WANTS.

INTERPERSONAL NEEDS THEORY

• IN DECISION MAKING THERE ARE THREE INTERPERSONAL NEEDS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL WHEN WE ARE SOCIALLY INTERACTING WITH OTHERS.

• THE FIRST ONE IS THE NEED FOR AFFECTION, WHICH IS TO BE LOVED AND TO GIVE LOVE.

• THE SECOND ONE IS THE NEED FOR INCLUSION, WHICH IS WHEN SOMEONE FEELS THE NEED TO BE INCLUDED WITH OTHERS IN A GROUP OR TO BE NOTICED.

• THE LAST ONE IS THE NEED FOR CONTROL, WHICH IS THE NEED TO BE DOMINANT AND HAVE POWER IN A RELATIONSHIP AND IN DECISIONS MADE IN A RELATIONSHIP.

PROBABILITY AND DECISION MAKING

• WHEN MAKING A DECISION YOU MUST THINK THROUGH THE PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL BENEFIT FROM THE DESICION YOU HAVE MADE.

• A GOOD EXAMPLE OF PROBABILITY AND DECISION MAKING WOULD BE BUYING A PHONE. YOU TAKE THE CHANCE AND GET A NEW DIFFERENT PHONE. WHEN BUYING THE PHONE YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THE PHONE WILL BREAK SOON OR WORK FINE. WHEN BUYING THE NEW PHONE THERE IS A 50% PROBABILITY THAT IT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK

GUIDELINES FOR DECISION MAKING

• THE FIRST STEP IN DECISION MAKING OF COURSE IS ASKING QUESTIONS. CRITICAL THINKERS ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS AND WONDER WHY SOMETHING IS THE WAY IT IS.

• STEP 2 IS DEFINING THE PROBLEM. ASKING QUESTIONS HELP TO FIND OUT WHAT TO ISSUE IS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO RESOLVE IT.

• STEP 3 IS FINDING EVIDENCE. CRITICAL THINKERS MUST LOOK FOR EVIDENCE OF A PROBLEM AND WHAT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO RESOLVE THAT ISSUE.

• STEP 4 IS ANALYZING ASSUMPTIONS AND BIASES. WHEN MAKING A DECISION YOU TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ALL OF YOUR BELIEFS THAT ARE PART OF YOUR ARGUMENT.

• STEP 5 IS CONTROLLING EMOTIONAL REASONING. CRITICAL THINKERS NEED TO PUT THEIR EMOTIONS TO THE SIDE TO MAKE A RATIONAL DECISION.

• STEP 6 IS NOT TO OVERSIMPLIFY, WHICH MEANS TO KEEP IT SHORT AND NOT ARGUE WITH ANECDOTES.

• STEP 7 IS TO CONSIDER OTHER INTERPRETATIONS, THINK ABOUT REASONABLE BEHAVIORS, CHARACTERISTICS, AND EVENTS WHEN MAKING A DECISION.

• LASTLY, TOLERATE UNCERTAINTY WHICH MEANS NOT TO DEMAND AN ANSWER BUT BE FINE WITH NOT KNOWING THE RIGHT ANSWER.