Behavioral problems of adhering to a decision policy

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Date

1973-05-01

Authors

Slovic, Paul

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Abstract

In my talk today, I am going to analyze the problems of adhering to policy from a psychological viewpoint. Some research will be described which indicates that we do indeed deviate from the policies we wish to follow. There are two key elements behind such deviations. The first sterns from changes over time in the goals, aspiration levels, or criteria that underlie our policies. Often, these changes are triggered by the fact that we are earning money or losing money. The second facet of nonadherence involves certain deficiencies in our thought processes. These deficiencies allow two villains—random error and systematic bias—to obliterate our policies, often without our awareness of the fact that this is happening. After reviewing research that demonstrates the ways in which we fail to adhere to policy, I'll close with a discussion of some techniques aimed at helping decision makers to follow their policies.

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Keywords

Bias, Gambling, Decision making

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