Question 1

Most people end up "satisficing" when they make an important decision.Which of the following is NOT a good explanation for this situation?

Accepted Answer

Option D suggests that people are often too analytical in their approach to decision making, which contradicts the idea of satisficing where people choose the first option that meets their minimum requirements. Therefore, option D is not a good explanation for why people satisfice.

Question 2

Which example uses deduction to draw a specific conclusion?

Accepted Answer

This example uses deductive reasoning by starting with a general premise that all triangles have three sides and using that premise to draw the specific conclusion that a three-sided figure is a triangle. A is an example of faulty logic called "fallacy of the converse," B is an example of faulty logic called "false generalization," and D is an example of faulty logic called "fallacy of the inverse."

Question 3

What do you think is the most important step in the decision-making process? Explain your position.

Accepted Answer

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Question 4

In Star Trek,Spock is said to be a "perfectly rational being." Explain why even Spock is often unable to make a perfectly rational decision when the starship is threatened by aliens.

Accepted Answer

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Question 5

In your presentation at the last quarterly meeting,you were accused of falling into the "confirming evidence" thinking trap.Describe how you can correct your position in the upcoming meeting.

Accepted Answer

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Question 6

Why is assimilation considered harmful in some situations?

Accepted Answer

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Question 7

Your boss is giving a speech on decision making and would like some scientific evidence about using intuition.Is intuitive decision making reliable? Explain.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

What is the difference between accommodation and assimilation?

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

You are the marketing manager for a software company.Focus group data for a new tutoring product,Math Freak,shows that 15 percent of users showed a 50 point or higher improvement in their test scores.Another 36 percent showed a small increase.The other 49 percent had no score change,or actually had their score drop.Your job is to maximize the sales of Math Freak.Which critical thinking skill will you draw upon?

Accepted Answer

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Question 10

At a staff party,a colleague tells you that decision making is "strictly a rational process." Explain how you would respond to this person.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

Your boss tells you that stereotyping is not a bad thing,and that it's just a shortcut that employs common sense.How do you respond?

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

As CEO of a book store chain,Stuart led his company through a national expansion in the 1990s.As e-commerce expanded in the 2000s,followed by the growth of e-readers,Stuart continued expansion plans based on the chain's original model.In 2012,the company folded.What was Stuart's mistake?

Accepted Answer

Stuart likely fell victim to sunk cost bias, where he continued to invest money and resources into expanding the book store chain even as the market shifted towards e-commerce and e-readers. Instead of recognizing the changing landscape of the industry and adapting to it, Stuart may have been too focused on recouping the sunk costs of his original expansion plans. This ultimately led to the company's failure in 2012.

Question 13

Your tennis coach says that you have fallen into the "anchoring" thinking trap.Which of the following statements best describes you?

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

Officials for the Motion Picture Academy's Oscar Awards are asking members to make more rational decisions and eliminate all emotion and biases when voting.What is your response to this request?

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 6: The Human Side of Planning: Decision Making and Critical Thinking