Unit 2 - Decision Making Flashcards
human factors looks at the interaction between _
humans and systems
What is the importance of decision making?
how decisions impact safety, efficiency, and effectiveness in various domains
decision making consists of choosing between _
alternative courses of action available and enjoying or suffering the consequences of the chosen actions
what are the 2 theories about decision making?
normative and descriptive
define normative, as a decision making theory
a standard for the type of thinking that is optimal for achieving the goal (ie. how things should or ought to be)
define descriptive, as a decision making theory
theories of how people typically think and make decisions (eg. adding psychology and emotions into decision making)
decisions can be described in simple theoretical terms as consisting of 4 components: (normative decision making)
1) a set of actions
2) one or more events that describe the uncontrolled future
3) The outcomes and consequences of each action given each event
4) The chances favouring each event
describe the 4 components of decisions in the example of deciding whether to bring an umbrella to school
1) set of actions
- carry an umbrella
- not carry an umbrella
2) one or more events that describe the uncontrolled future
- rain
- no rain
3) the outcomes and consequences of each action given each event
4) the chances favouring each event
what are the consequences of carrying an umbrella and having rain as an event
get slightly damp, lug around the umbrella all day, perhaps lose the umbrella (but dry)
what are the consequences of carrying an umbrella and having no rain as an event
lug around the umbrella, maybe lost it, have to explain to your friends why you are carrying an umbrella on a sunny day
what are the consequences of not carrying an umbrella and having rain as an event
get very wet and uncomfortable, drip all over your test
what are the consequences of not carrying an umbrella and having no rain as an event
nothing (comfortable)
in decision theory, there are statements about how people ought to make decisions, most of these theories start with a measure called _
utility
define utility
a numerical measure of the relative worth of all the physical outcomes associated with a decision
- ordering the physical outcomes from least to most desired
order the umbrella and rain scenario into least to most desired outcomes
- no umbrella no rain
- umbrella and no rain
- umbrella and rain
- rain no umbrella
describe the notion of utility
- after ordering the consequences
- assigning values to these physical outcomes that truly reflect their relative worth
according to the theory of _, the least and most desired outcomes can be arbitrarily assigned the respective values of _
Neumann and Morgenstern (1953)
- 0 and 1
the utility values of the others can be found through a comparison between each of the other outcomes individually as a _ nd the standard gamble consisting of a _
certainty
risky situation
describe the wheel of fortune (notion of utility)
- take the outcome where you carry an umbrella and it rains “3”
- would you prefer that outcome for certain, or, the standard gamble (between 1-4)
(wheel of fortune) by repeating this procedure where the final outcome is
- any decrease made will always cause you to select the _
- any increase will cause you to always pick a _
indifference
- standard gamble
- certain outcome
what happens net in the wheel of fortune (notion of utility)
- now we can have a measure of the utility fo each outcome in this decision
- similar techniques are used in perceived loudness or perceived tonal frequencies
Under the topic of further understanding human’s decision, we have the concepts of
- expected value
- conditional probability
- Bayes’ theorem
define rational decision maker
play any game with an expected positive return regardless of the sums involved
people who focus on _ will not play any game even if it can be expected profitable
subjective utility
describe bayes’ theorem
- process of revising probability estimates as new data are receives is the subject of baye’s theorem
- provides an optimal model of how such probability revision should be carried out
- ex. at the begining of the semester you were able to guess, but may have felt unsure (the probability you will receive all As)
- as the term progresses, and you get your grades back, your estimates should improve
define posterior probability and prior probability (conditional probability, bayes’ theorem)
posterior probability: the probability after data have been obtained
prior probability: the probability before getting any new data
human decision making is an important part of many tasks:
- are humans’ decisions rational?
- human biases?
- systems and environments that we create should aim to enhance necessary sensory processes and reduce interferences