Chapter 11 Think Reflectively Strategies for Decision Making

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction Once human beings have made a decision: –They almost never change their minds What Can We Learn from Popular Fiction? “I Would Definitely Go to the Doctor” Explaining and Defending Ourselves

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction –Our thinking capacities helped us survive as a species through the many millennia when we: Were anything but the most formidable species on the planet –Objectivity in decision making is something we prize

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction –Objectivity can be very difficult for us when: We already have a strongly held opinion on a given issue –A Poorly Crafted Assignment The challenge for critical thinking is not unlike: –The problem of building a new house on a lot where an older house already stands

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction –Moving from Decision to Action Pro or Con Revisited Poor Reflective Decisions –Phase 1: Pre-editing Look for reasonable ways to make the decision easier and more efficient

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction Typically, we use the elimination by aspect heuristic and the satisficing heuristic to: –Make our work go more quickly –Phase 2: Identifying One Promising Option Finding an alternative more attractive than the others on at least one critically important attribute

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction –Phase 3: Testing the Promising Option Having identified a promising option, we begin almost immediately to test it against other options Typically, we focus on seeing whether our promising option has any salient disadvantages Recalling One of Your Own Decisions

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction –Phase 4: Fortifying the To-Be-Chosen Option We restructure our appraisals of the options to achieve dominance of one option over the others This restructuring can be more or less rational The process of de-emphasizing, bolstering, trading off, and collapsing attributes When is dominance structuring complete?

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction Map Your Own Arguments Benefits and Risks of Dominance Structuring –Humans seek to establish a strong and enduring rationale for the belief that: One alternative dominates over others

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Dominance Structuring: a Fortress Of Conviction The Classic “O. J. Defense” Example –Our desire to achieve closure by making a decision –Our psychological capacity, whether it is logical and ethical or not: To revisit and renegotiate every aspect of a decision to advance the to-be-chosen option

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-Regulation Critical Thinking Skill Strategies Critical Thinking Precautions When Pre- Editing –Be Sure about “the Problem” –Specify the Decision-Critical Attributes –Be Clear about Why an Option Is In or Out Critical Thinking Precautions When Identifying the Promising Option

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Self-Regulation Critical Thinking Skill Strategies –Scrutinize Options with Disciplined Impartiality –Listen to Both Sides First Critical Thinking Precautions When Testing the Promising Option –Use All the Essential Criteria –Treat Equals as Equals

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Self-Regulation Critical Thinking Skill Strategies –Diligently Engage in Truth-Seeking and Remain Impartial Critical Thinking Precautions When Fortifying the To-Be-Chosen Option –Be Honest with Yourself Critical Thinking Strategies for Better Decision Making

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Self-Regulation Critical Thinking Skill Strategies –Task Independent Teams with the Same Problem –Decide When It’s Time to Decide –Analyze Indicators and Make Mid-Course Corrections –Create a Culture of Respect for Critical Thinking