Outlines research showing different ways that information is used in the decision-making process at high levels in organizations. Patterns of executive information use are described, including conceptual, instrumental, tactical, symbolic, and political use; and implications for the design of information systems that support decision making are…

Social scientists have repeatedly demonstrated that individuals tend to underutilize base-rate information in favor of case-specific information in problems investigating subjective probability estimation. Despite the pervasiveness of this base-rate fallacy, little progress has been made in establishing a definitive explanation for its cause. This…

The conceptual implications of various alternatives to the classic model of rational decisionmaking are explored, in order to note the radically different roles that information plays in different kinds of organizational settings. Examples are drawn from cases illustrating the different uses of information, showing some of the important costs and…

A National Academy of Sciences study for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide insights into the acquisition and utilization of scientific and technical information for making environmental regulatory decisions. The output of EPA's decision-making process will be analyzed through a series of case studies. (BT)

It is critical for schools and districts engaged in a comprehensive school-reform process to develop a schoolwide or districtwide strategy, one that affects teaching and learning, governance, and professional development. Researchers studying school-reform processes have noted that different types of models suit different schools differently.…

Possession of information within an organization is important because it confers status and security, gives influence in decisionmaking, and creates a sense of uncertainty among those who are excluded from it. Thus, innovation is successfully accomplished in part by the deliberate exercise of control over information, a crucial systemic resource.…

Author summarizes assumptions underlying research into human processing of probabilistic information used in decision-making. He outlines a model for further studies, noting that why subjects may reject it is as important as whether they do so. Theoretical prospects are discussed also. (Author/PD)

The User Interview Survey examined patterns of information use among elementary school decision makers. The goal was a better understanding of the mix of evaluation and other information inputs into program decisions. The study results are reported, and their implications for improving evaluation utilization at the local level are discussed. (BW)

Analysis of the relationship between performance data and changes in faculty size of 40 departments in a College of Arts and Sciences during a time of financial stress found that the rational choice model was applied to decision making. There was a systematic relationship between objective, evaluative data and policy decisions. (MLW)

A survey of 1,121 counselors (59 percent) determined what information was needed by individuals to facilitate their career decision making and job seeking behavior. It also identified general themes within this career-related information through factor analysis of a lengthy questionnaire. (JOW)

Reports on five experiments regarding the ability of children ranging from four to seven years of age to decide when they did not have enough information to select an unfamiliar named picture. Concludes that avoidance of the undecidable was the result of the children's difficulty in understanding undecidability. (GH)

Discusses a prototype training system for organizational decision makers to help with information flow and reduce information overload. The system embeds an interactive simulation within a computer-based instruction system to enable decision makers to develop and employ information-filtering criteria. (Author/LRW)

This report considers the management, use, and congressional oversight of information technology in the Federal Government as rapid advances in technology--e.g., microcomputers, computer networking, computer modeling, videoconferencing, and electronic information exchange--are generating many new applications, opportunities, and issues which are…

Policy Implications Analysis (PIA) is a tool designed to maximize the likelihood that an evaluation report will have an impact on decision-making. PIA was designed to help people planning and conducting evaluations tailor their information so that it has optimal potential for being used and acted upon. This paper describes the development and…

The implications of delineating and determining the sequence of programming decisions are shown in the selection of building committee membership. The role relationships of client and architect are discussed in terms of decision-making function. Decision tables are described as aids in problem analysis. Other topics include information and…