Perception / Decision Making

The mental process which leads to the successful selection of a particular course of action amidst the plenty of alternatives is what is called Decision making. It is the final choice that the cognitive process of the mind makes. The psychological perspective of the decision making concentrate on the values that an individual seeks and the preference of an individual. On the other hand, the cognitive perspective holds the view that decision making is the continuous process which is incorporated in the interaction of an individual with the environment.  Rationality and the logic of decision making plays a vital role in individual decisions says the normative outlook of decision making.

The importance of decision making:

In every science-based professions decision making holds an important role. For instance, the selection of an appropriate treatment in medicine is mainly based on the proper diagnosis and decision making. Often in the time of higher time pressure or increased ambiguities and confusions, experts would go for the intuitive decision making rather than adopting the approaches that are structured. However Since 1964, there has been a structure method of decision making which is justifiable on its own.

There are some evaluative criteria which are used to analyze the available set of alternatives and that bring about a decision which would be of beneficial. All the criteria would be considered simultaneously ranking the alternatives in terms of their attractiveness to the decision makers in solving the problem.

Techniques of decision making:

Though decision making is not an easy job and always have got some sort of conflicts and dissatisfaction. The skill lies in making a decision where the negative outcomes would be outweighed by the positive outcomes. There are several techniques to help good decision making. The first step is to identify the aim of the decision. One the purpose of the decision is identified, the next thing is to gather information. Gathering information should explore all the factors that involve the problem. It is followed by the analysis where the standards and the judgment criteria that the solutions should be capable of meeting should be analyzed. All possible choices for the solution should be listed and evaluated in terms of the consequences it carries. After this the best alternative should be evaluated.

Putting the best alternative into action is the most important step. After this the outcome of your decisions and the outcome of the action steps can be evaluated. It is crucial to make fast decisions in our daily life. Then check only the goals of the decision rather than following the entire process.