Decisions in Communication

By Michelle Anderson Critical Thinking Marteney

Involuntary Decision Making

Involuntary decision making is a learned pattern of acting or thinking and it’s made out of habit or repetition.

We respond to a given situation. To avoid getting in trouble, as critical thinkers,

we need to be think carefully before crossing the street.

Hidden persuaders such as the use of visual stimuli, accelerated speech, use of embedded images, and hidden messages help influence our decision making.

We make unconscious decisions by reacting to situations.

Voluntary Decision Making

Allows us to examine all the information available.

We are actively participating in the decision making process.

It is influenced by credible sources, authority figures, one’s peers, groupthink and the interpersonal needs for affection, inclusion and control.

Credible Sources

People that we trust and look to for help, guidance, or direction in making a decision.

Advertisers poll the American public yearly to determine which celebrities are popular called Q-rating.

We are more likely to trust people that are more credible.

Authority Figures

We are highly susceptible to the influence of authority figures and make decisions based on what we think that authority figure would want us to do.

Peer Influence

Occurs when we voluntarily seeks the support/approval of others as the basis for our decision making.

Can be highly influential from using drugs, smoking/drinking and shoplifting.

We are influenced by peer groups even if they are strangers.

Groupthink

Irving Janis defines it as the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrent co-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override any realistic appraisal of any alternative courses of action.

Occurs when we desire cohesiveness and harmony within a group.

Spouses suffer from groupthink when they choose not to argue with their spouses even when they disagree with their decision.

The Need for Affection

Is the first interpersonal need to have in our lives.

We need to be loved and give love to others.

Our need for intimacy is satisfied through close physical and emotional one-to-one relationships as we mature.

The Need for Control

Is the need to exert some real power/influence over decision-making in a relationship.

This need is met after we are given responsibility for the outcome of a decision in a relationship.

Decision Making and Probability

We view probability calculations differently.

Careful calculations, experiences, predictions, observations and analysis weigh heavily as factors shaping the probability that the claim present is valid.

Guidelines for Critical Decision Thinking by Wade & Tavris

Ask Questions; be willing to wonder. Define the Problem. What evidence supports or refutes this

argument and its opposition? Analyze Assumptions and Biases. Control Emotional reasoning. Don’t Oversimplify. Consider other Interpretations. Tolerate Uncertainty.

Evaluating Decision Making

First, we focus on the outcomes or the results of our decision making process.

We, as critical thinkers, must examine the process used to make our decisions.

We must be aware of the ethical implications of the decisions we make.

Therefore, we need disciplined thinking to make good decisions.