ABSTRACT
Information pervades our simplest decision processes, but much of it we scarcely notice.
When a couple decides to go to a restaurant they rely on their previous experience with
the restaurant, newspaper or friends’ commentary, their own feelings about cooking that
night, estimates of how long it will take to get there, how much dinner will cost, and
perhaps a theory that getting out of the house would cheer them up after a hard day at
work. They use their own and others’ experience and their own feelings, along with
objective data and theory. Moreover, they interpret this information within a frame, like
reducing their stress or keeping their marriage interesting. They are likely to make the
decision only after some dialogue in which they share their views with one another.
