ABSTRACT

References ........................................................................................................................................17

No single volume, no matter how thick, can cover all aspects of decision making. Like its prede-

cessors (e.g., Edwards and Tversky, 1967; Ungston and Braunstein, 1982; Nigro, 1984; Hogarth

and Reder, 1986; Pennings, 1986; Zey, 1992), this book presents only a partial account of the

theories, contexts, and methods of decision making. There were attempts to formulate a universal

theory of decision making in the past. The assumption was that the “rational individual” could make

decisions in a purely logical fashion (without the interference of values or any other distractions)

and with the complete knowledge of the problems to be solved and the consequences of his or her

actions. This notion, which is largely regarded as a myth today (some see it as a convenient myth,

however) is the basis of the so-called “rational comprehensive model of decision making.”