POL208Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Leon Festinger, Robert Jervis, Rational Choice Theory
6 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Cognitive explanations come from a rejection of simple behaviorist models and the limits of rationality in the way cognition shapes the choices people make. People rarely conform to the expectations of the rational model. People have a preference for simplicity, are averse to dissonance, and misunderstand probability. Da(cid:448)id a. welch (cid:862)the orga(cid:374)izatio(cid:374)al process a(cid:374)d bureaucratic politics paradig(cid:373)s: retrospect a(cid:374)d. We are trying to seek to understand foreign policy decisions in an increasingly uncertain world. Model two: the organizational process model: looks at how bureaucratic procedures of decision-making affect outcomes which might reflect standard operating procedures which produce failures or unintended consequences. Outcomes are the result of constraints imposed on decision-makers by the bureaucratic organizations that execute decisions. Do they provide a basis for improved explanations and enhance predictions. Article is about decision making processes and how best to come to a decision. Jervis outlines why that choice is sometimes complicated by internal conflict.
