Chapter 1 Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking,
and Clinical Reasoning: Requisites for successful leadership and
management
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
,Chapter 1 Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical
Thinking, and Clinical Reasoning: Requisites for
successful leadership and management
• What statement is true regarding decision making?
• It is an analysis of a situation
• It is closely related to evaluation
• It involves choosing between courses of action
• It is dependent upon finding the cause of a problem
ANS: C
Feedback:
Decision making is a complex cognitive process often defined as choosing a particular course
of action. Problem solving is part of decision making and is a systematic process that focuses
on analyzing a difficult situation. Critical thinking, sometimes referred to as reflective
thinking, is related to evaluation and has a broader scope than decision making and problem
solving.
• What
• A) Its need for implementation time
• B) Its lack of a step requiring evaluation of results
• C) Its failure to gather sufficient data
• D) Its failure to evaluate alternatives
ANS: A
Feedback:
The traditional problem-solving model is less effective when time constraints are a
consideration. Decision making can occur without the full analysis required in problem
solving. Because problem solving attempts to identify the root problem in situations, much
time and energy are spent on identifying the real problem.
• Which of the following statements is true regarding decision making?
• A) Scientific methods provide identical decisions by different individuals
for the same problems
, • B) Decisions are greatly influenced by each persons value system
• C) Personal beliefs can be adjusted for when the scientific approach to
problem solving is used
• D) Past experience has little to do with the quality of the decision
ANS: B
Feedback:
Values, life experience, individual preference, and individual ways of thinking will influence
a persons decision making. No matter how objective the criteria will be, value judgments will
always play a part in a persons decision making, either consciously or subconsciously.
is a weakness of the traditional problem-solving model?
Page 1
• What influences the quality of a decision most often? A) The decision makers
immediate superior
• The type of decision that needs to be made
• Questions asked and alternatives generated
• The time of day the decision is
made ANS: C
Feedback:
The greater the number of alternatives that can be generated by the decision maker, the better
the final decision will be. The alternatives generated and the final choices are limited by
each persons value system.
• What
• A) Good decision makers are usually right-brain, intuitive thinkers
• B) Effective decision makers are sensitive to the situation and to others
• C) Good decisions are usually made by left-brain, logical thinkers
• D) Good decision making requires analytical rather than creative processes
ANS: B
Feedback:
Good decision makers seem to have antennae that make them particularly sensitive to other
people and situations. Left-brain thinkers are typically better at processing language, logic,
numbers, and sequential ordering, whereas right-brain thinkers excel at nonverbal ideation
and holistic synthesizing.
does knowledge about good decision making lead one to believe?
• What
• A) The planning process of management
• B) The evaluation phase of the executive role
• C) One step in the problem-solving process
and Clinical Reasoning: Requisites for successful leadership and
management
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
,Chapter 1 Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical
Thinking, and Clinical Reasoning: Requisites for
successful leadership and management
• What statement is true regarding decision making?
• It is an analysis of a situation
• It is closely related to evaluation
• It involves choosing between courses of action
• It is dependent upon finding the cause of a problem
ANS: C
Feedback:
Decision making is a complex cognitive process often defined as choosing a particular course
of action. Problem solving is part of decision making and is a systematic process that focuses
on analyzing a difficult situation. Critical thinking, sometimes referred to as reflective
thinking, is related to evaluation and has a broader scope than decision making and problem
solving.
• What
• A) Its need for implementation time
• B) Its lack of a step requiring evaluation of results
• C) Its failure to gather sufficient data
• D) Its failure to evaluate alternatives
ANS: A
Feedback:
The traditional problem-solving model is less effective when time constraints are a
consideration. Decision making can occur without the full analysis required in problem
solving. Because problem solving attempts to identify the root problem in situations, much
time and energy are spent on identifying the real problem.
• Which of the following statements is true regarding decision making?
• A) Scientific methods provide identical decisions by different individuals
for the same problems
, • B) Decisions are greatly influenced by each persons value system
• C) Personal beliefs can be adjusted for when the scientific approach to
problem solving is used
• D) Past experience has little to do with the quality of the decision
ANS: B
Feedback:
Values, life experience, individual preference, and individual ways of thinking will influence
a persons decision making. No matter how objective the criteria will be, value judgments will
always play a part in a persons decision making, either consciously or subconsciously.
is a weakness of the traditional problem-solving model?
Page 1
• What influences the quality of a decision most often? A) The decision makers
immediate superior
• The type of decision that needs to be made
• Questions asked and alternatives generated
• The time of day the decision is
made ANS: C
Feedback:
The greater the number of alternatives that can be generated by the decision maker, the better
the final decision will be. The alternatives generated and the final choices are limited by
each persons value system.
• What
• A) Good decision makers are usually right-brain, intuitive thinkers
• B) Effective decision makers are sensitive to the situation and to others
• C) Good decisions are usually made by left-brain, logical thinkers
• D) Good decision making requires analytical rather than creative processes
ANS: B
Feedback:
Good decision makers seem to have antennae that make them particularly sensitive to other
people and situations. Left-brain thinkers are typically better at processing language, logic,
numbers, and sequential ordering, whereas right-brain thinkers excel at nonverbal ideation
and holistic synthesizing.
does knowledge about good decision making lead one to believe?
• What
• A) The planning process of management
• B) The evaluation phase of the executive role
• C) One step in the problem-solving process
