Q. What type of process is decision-making?
a) Intellectual process
b) Somatic process
c) Social process
d) Psychological process
Correct Answer: a) Intellectual process
Question from UPPSC Prelims CSAT 2025
Explanation:
Decision-making is the conscious selection of one option from among alternatives by using reasoning, judgment, and evaluation. These are cognitive (mental) operations, so decision-making is fundamentally an intellectual process.
– Not somatic: Somatic refers to bodily/physiological functions, whereas decision-making is mental.
– Not primarily social: Decisions can be made in groups, but the act of choosing is cognitive, not inherently social.
– While it falls within the domain of psychology broadly, the standard characterization in management/administrative theory describes it specifically as an intellectual (mental/cognitive) process.