Decision-making models, decision support and problem solving

• Main Authors: LEHTO, Mark R., NAH, Fiona Fui-hoon, YI, Ji Soo
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2012
• Subjects: Databases and Information Systems; Management Information Systems
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/10040; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sis_research/article/11040/viewcontent/Handbook_of_Human_Factors_and_Ergonomics_ch7_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This chapter focuses on the broad topic of human decision making. Decision making is often viewed as a stage of human information processing because people must gather, organize, and combine information from various sources to make decisions. However, as decisions grow more complex, information processing actually becomes part of decision making, and methods of decision sup-port that help decision makers process information become of growing importance. Decision making also overlaps with problem solving. The point where decision making becomes problem solving is fuzzy, but many decisions require problem solving, and the opposite is true as well. Cognitive models of problem solving are consequently relevant for describing many aspects of human decision making. They become especially relevant for describing steps taken in the early stages of a decision where choices are formulated and alternatives are identified.