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Application of Decision Making: a Contingency Approach

question 168

Multiple Choice

Application of Decision Making: A Contingency Approach
It seems that all Dave accomplishes is making decisions. Every time he turns around, someone wants him to decide on one more thing. Just today the secretary came in and asked if she could reorder paper for the fax machine. Somehow that seemed like a decision he really did not need to deal with. If he could avoid those types of decisions, then when the foreman came in with the news of a major piece of equipment that needs repair, in which the repair bill will be almost as much as a new machine, Dave could focus more time and attention on the more complicated issues.
-After talking to Dave's boss, it appears that Dave decided to repair rather than replace the old fax machine in the past because he thought it would be cheaper to fix it than replace it. As it turns out, it has cost Dave three times as much to fix the machine or buy a new machine over the past two years than it would have cost to purchase a new one. Yet, Dave still persists in wanting to repair the old machine. This is an example of_________ .

Definitions:

Biological Perspective

An approach to psychology focusing on understanding human and animal behavior through biological processes, including genetic, neurochemical, and physiological mechanisms.

Negative Explanatory Style

A cognitive approach where individuals habitually attribute negative events to internal, stable, and global factors.

State-Dependent Memory

The phenomenon where information learned in a particular state of mind (e.g., emotional, sober, intoxicated) is more easily recalled when in the same state.

Learned Helplessness

A situation where an individual experiences feelings of helplessness, resulting from experiencing a traumatic event or ongoing inability to achieve success.