Know the Cognitive Process and aids in Decision making

Decision making is a cognitive process involving information search and evaluation, judgement and problem solving as well as responses to a set of motivational forces that determine the manner in which decisions is made and it occur in certain sequential steps.

Appraising the challenges: Involves recognizing a challenge realistically. One should avoid making faulty assumptions or oversimplifying a complex problem.

Surveying the alternatives: Involves recognizing a challenge realistically. One should avoid making faulty assumptions or over simplifying a complex problem.

Weighing alternatives: Each option is evaluated for its possible gains and costs, for its practicability and consequences. This creates tension in the person.

Adhering despite negative feedback: Since every decision involves some risk, others may criticize it. Overreacting to criticism and disappointment by changing the mind prematurely may make the whole effort a waste. Or justifying once choice shutting out valuable criticism is also not desirable.

Successful decision making according to Janis and Mann, involves “vigorous information processing”. This may occur due to following

• When the risk is continuing the existing behavior is low.
• When the risk in what one is doing is high and there is an alternative with a low risk, then the latter one is likely to be chosen.
• When all the alternatives appear to be risky and one does not hope to get a better alternative, decision making is likely to be avoided by refusing to accept the existence of a problem.
• If one feels that a possible alternative may disappear, if time is spent on other alternatives then the person may become panic and choose prematurely.

In addition to the process of gathering information, weighing alternative and making a commitment, personal factors like values, attitudes, frustration, tolerance, anxiety etc., further complicate decision making.

In improving decision making skills keep in mind the following principles-

• Use sounder judgement: judgement is the raw material of decision-making. Human beings have a tendency to simplify complex matters why stereotypes. As a result, the poor judgement leads to poor decision.
• Acknowledge conflicts realistically: every decision involves some degree of conflict with equal alternative leading to more intense conflicts especially when choosing between two undesirable results.
• Clarify your values and objectives: values are neither good nor bad. They are guiding principles. Many conflicts may arise due to confusion over values. Once values are clarified, they can be translated into tangible objectives that guide your decisions.
• Accept reasonable results: we should never aim at an ideal solution. People with perfectionistic tendencies are especially susceptible to this. It is desirable to accept the most reasonable results under the circumstances.
• Make the best of faulty decisions: because of our cognitive limitations, many of our decisions may go wrong. In such situation people are like to berate themselves or justify their decisions. Instead we should try to find out why it was wrong and in future improve our decision making.