Judgment in the Spotlight: Interpreting Evidence through the Prism of Personal Experience

Judgment in the Spotlight: Interpreting Evidence through the Prism of Personal Experience

In the realms of art and music, judgment is the critique of a piece’s composition, its melody, or the emotions it evokes. In the corporate and scientific worlds, judgment is the lens through which we view evidence, colored by our knowledge and experience. But is our judgment always clear? Or does it occasionally need a gentle nudge or recalibration?

A Game of Situational Judgments

In the fast-paced corporate maze, situations pop up like unexpected turns in a board game. And it’s no game of chance but a test of our situational judgment. What is situational judgment, you ask? It’s the intricate act of applying personal knowledge and understanding to interpret evidence and make decisions. But the act isn’t solo. Ability, experience, and personality are the partners, guiding and sometimes misguiding the steps¹.

Auditing Your Judgments

Let’s dive deep into the realm of expertise and auditor judgments. Expertise, like an old wine, gets better with time, nurturing an individual’s ability to perceive patterns and draw connections. An experienced auditor, equipped with years of expertise, perceives the links between different pieces of evidence differently than a novice would².

The Power of Prior Knowledge

Ever had a gut feeling about something and it turned out to be right? That’s the charm of prior knowledge, a silent player in the game of judgment. Prior knowledge, like an old friend, whispers insights into our ears, making the unfamiliar familiar and the uncertain certain³.

The Ethical Crossroads

Ethical judgments are the crossroads where our moral compass meets evidence. It’s where black and white blur into shades of gray. Ethical judgments, however, come with their own challenges, from inconsistent nomenclature to inferences that might lead us astray⁴. Yet, at the heart of ethical judgments lies the age-old question: What is right?

Reflect & Engage:

• How do you differentiate between evidence and experience in your judgments?
• Are there moments when your personal experience overshadowed clear evidence, leading you down an unexpected path?

Sharpen Your Judgment Tools:

1. Harness the power of experience, allowing it to guide, but not overshadow, the evidence before you.
2. Dive deep into the sea of knowledge, understanding that each tidbit, each nugget of information, sharpens your judgment.
3. Periodically align your moral compass. Understand your ethical stance and be aware of its influence on your judgments.

Judgment isn’t about right or wrong. It’s about navigating the vast ocean of evidence using the compass of personal knowledge and experience. It’s a journey, with each decision carving out a unique path. As you venture forth, remember: your judgment, influenced by your experiences and knowledge, is your unique mark on the world.

References:

1. Weekley, J., & Ployhart, R. (2005). Situational Judgment: Antecedents and Relationships with Performance. Human Performance, 18, 104 – 81. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1801_4.
2. Frederick, D., & Libby, R. (1986). Expertise And Auditors Judgments Of Conjunctive Events. Journal of Accounting Research, 24, 270-290. https://doi.org/10.2307/2491134.
3. Hirt, E., & Sherman, S. (1985). The role of prior knowledge in explaining hypothetical events. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 519-543. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(85)90023-X.
4. Mudrack, P., & Mason, E. (2013). Ethical Judgments: What Do We Know, Where Do We Go?. Journal of Business Ethics, 115, 575-597. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10551-012-1426-Z.