Non-rational decision making is described as being descriptive rather than prescriptive. Which option completes this description?

Non-rational decision making is described as being descriptive rather than prescriptive. Which option completes this description?

• A. Descriptive rather than prescriptive
• B. Normative
• C. Rational
• D. Prescriptive

Answer: (A)

Non-rational decision making is about describing how people actually decide, including biases and heuristics, not about telling them how they should decide. Descriptive models aim to explain real behavior, while prescriptive (normative) models provide guidelines for better decisions. Rational models assume optimal, logical choice, which doesn’t fit non-rational behavior. So the phrase completes as “descriptive rather than prescriptive,” since it highlights describing actual decision processes rather than prescribing a method.

Non-rational decision making is about describing how people actually decide, including biases and heuristics, not about telling them how they should decide. Descriptive models aim to explain real behavior, while prescriptive (normative) models provide guidelines for better decisions. Rational models assume optimal, logical choice, which doesn’t fit non-rational behavior. So the phrase completes as “descriptive rather than prescriptive,” since it highlights describing actual decision processes rather than prescribing a method.