http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/140/cindy-dietrich Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 02 Aug 2026 05:14:46 -0400 Sun, 02 Aug 2026 05:14:46 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/180/decision-making-factors-that-influence-decision-making-heuristics-used-and-decision-outcomes By Cindy Dietrich - Heuristics serve as a framework in which satisfactory decisions are made quickly and with ease (Shah & Oppenheimer, 2008). Many types of heuristics have been developed to explain the decision making process; essentially, individuals work to reduce the effort they need to expend in making decisions and heuristics offer individuals a general guide to follow, thereby reducing the effort they must disburse. Together, heuristics and factors influencing decision making are a significant aspect of critical thinking (West, Toplak, & Stanovich, 2008). There is some indication that this can be taught... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/180/decision-making-factors-that-influence-decision-making-heuristics-used-and-decision-outcomes http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/173/online-social-support-an-effective-means-of-mediating-stress By Cindy Dietrich - It is estimated that in North America, alone, there are currently 251 million people who use the internet (Miniwats Marketing Group, 2009).  Individuals utilize the internet for many reasons, including information, social connections, and entertainment (Shaw & Gant, 2002).  Although presently, there is a host of research on social support and the internet, the theme of online support groups as a method to social support and positive health outcomes is fairly innovative.  Kraut et al. (1998) published seminal research on the impact of the internet on social involvement and psychological... Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:16 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/173/online-social-support-an-effective-means-of-mediating-stress