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    • RESEARCH REPORTS ON DECISION MAKING:

    Introduction to Research Reports
    1.  Decision Making Criteria
    2.  Political & Public Policy Decision Making
    3.  Good Judgment & Decision Making
    4.  Models, Systems, Guides for Decision Making in the Literature
    5.  A Model for Career Decision Making
    6.  Your Personal Program to Learn Decision Making
    7.  Decision Support or Business Intelligence
    8.  Bad Decisions
    9.  Decision Making Theories
    10.  Decision Making Styles
    11.  Decision Making Quotes & Articles
    12.  Critical Thinking & Structured Decision Making
    13.  Decision Making Tool
    14.  Organization Ethical Decision Making
    15.  Team Decision Making
    16.  Decision Making Lesson Plans
    17.  Decision Making Methods

    Research Report #12
    Structured Decision Making

    Structure Results in the Greatest Idea of All Time

    The scientific method is the greatest idea of all time because it provides better than any other method, guide, or system a way to reliable knowledge. Structure in this case provides the general pattern of the mental activity steps or stages to the way to originating, refining, extending, and applying knowledge. However, while SM-14 provides a structure to follow, this can be done very flexibly, as it is merely a guide or general pattern of the usual course of mental activity involved. Thus it is suitable for ill-structured problems and critical thinking decision making.

    To obtain reliable results when critical thinking decision making is needed, we can either use our intuition or rapid mental activity if the matter is urgent or apply the short or complete scientific method (SM-14) if it is a complex decision.

    Specialized Structured Decision Making

    The scientific method is a general method for all fields and is subject neutral. It is mainly for ill-structured problems and critical thinking decision making. However, we often have specialized structured decision making programs to aid people in the proper application of knowledge in making decisions in cases that are not ill-structured. By ill-structured we mean that goals or objectives are complex and often ill-defined. Also, the problem or decision may be successively transformed in the course of research and seeking a solution. So specialized structured decision making is most successful on routine, closed-end, simple, well-structured problems and decisions with a clear goal.

    Examples of Specialized Structured Decision Making

    Who Qualifies for a Mortgage or Credit Card

    Research is first done well or poorly in consumer decision making about who a lender wants to risk lending money. Parameters are established and a structured decision making tool or computer program is established.

    With this routine established lower level personnel are given training in the use of the structured decision making program and then authorized to grant credit based on making the right decision.

    Model Programs and Artificial Intelligence

    Here, hopefully, through thorough research, a good model program is established. It should really be based on the scientific method. It attempts to represent reality as to what people or things do. The models of decision making can be relatively simple or extremely complex, as are many in the artificial intelligence field. Often in AI these have the features of an expert system. The critical thinking decision making process can in many areas be reduced to a set of rules permitting automation. Examples of artificial intelligence system areas are medical diagnosis, mineral prospecting, speech understanding, and legal reasoning.

    Other Programs

    Information on structured decision making for various fields can be found on the internet under "structured decision making."

    Critical Thinking Decision Making

    These can be modeled if immediate critical thinking decision making is not needed. But in cases such as building fires there is not time for a paper or computer aided decision.