ABSTRACT
Decision-making can be defined as the process of reaching a judgement or choosing an option to meet the needs of a given situation. This chapter includes psychological research, especially relating to decision-making skills in higher-risk work settings. It focuses principally on decisions made at an operational, rather than at a tactical or strategic level, that is real-time decisions made by front-line staff. The chapter discusses a relatively new area of study, called naturalistic decision-making, where researchers examine how experienced practitioners make decisions in real-world settings. It outlines several different methods that people use to make operational decisions using a basic model of decision-making and highlights suggestions for measurement and training. The need to understand decision-making in safety-critical work settings has resulted in a new field of decision research, known as naturalistic decision-making. In the situation assessment phase of decision-making, a much more conscious effort is directed at identifying and understanding a new or altered situation.
