A decision's expected utility depends on the probability of its execution as well as the expected consequences of the act it selects.

Causal decision theory’s account of self-ratification may put aside Jeffrey’s method of evaluating a decision by evaluating the act it selects. Because the decision and the act differ, they may have different consequences. For example, a decision may fail to generate the act it selects. Hence, the decision’s expected utility may differ from the act’s expected utility. Driving through a flooded section of highway may have high expected utility because it minimizes travel time to one’s destination