Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Behavioral Decision Making and Their Relation to Time Constraints

This chapter provides a general background to the studies of decision making addressed by the other contributors to the book. These contributions draw on a number of approaches, differentiated in terms of the aspects of the decision-making process that are the focus of attention and the theoretical and methodological approaches taken when conceptualizing and investigating the process. For instance, some contributions have investigated judgment, others choice, each adopting an approach that focuses primarily on the outcome of these activities or the nature of the cognitive processes that underlie them. In additon to identifying different approaches to the study of decision making, the potential of each approach for developing our understanding of the effects of time constraints on judgment and decision making are elaborated. This provides a broad coverage of issues, putting into perspective the different studies of judgment and decision making included in this volume.