IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jetheo/v202y2022ics0022053122000485.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Disentangling strict and weak choice in random expected utility models

Author

Listed:
  • Piermont, Evan

Abstract

I examine the structure of random choice resulting from random expected utility maximization and a tie-breaking rule. I provide a partial identification result, characterizing the set of random expected utility models that could have generated the observed choice frequencies. I then consider a particular class of random choice rules for which it is possible to constructively identify the consistent random utility model that produces indifference the least. These random choice rules are characterized by breaking ties in favor of strict convex combinations. Towards proving these results, I introduce and axiomatize the notion of a choice capacity, representing the frequency of choice by strict maximization. Choice capacities, while not necessarily observable themselves, provide the technical machinery to translate arbitrary random expected utility models into choice behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Piermont, Evan, 2022. "Disentangling strict and weak choice in random expected utility models," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:202:y:2022:i:c:s0022053122000485
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2022.105458
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022053122000485
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jet.2022.105458?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mira Frick & Ryota Iijima & Tomasz Strzalecki, 2019. "Dynamic Random Utility," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 87(6), pages 1941-2002, November.
    2. Jay Lu, 2016. "Random Choice and Private Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 84, pages 1983-2027, November.
    3. David S. Ahn & Todd Sarver, 2013. "Preference for Flexibility and Random Choice," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 81(1), pages 341-361, January.
    4. Jose Apesteguia & Miguel A. Ballester & Jay Lu, 2017. "Single‐Crossing Random Utility Models," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85, pages 661-674, March.
    5. Daniel McFadden, 2005. "Revealed stochastic preference: a synthesis," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 26(2), pages 245-264, August.
    6. Faruk Gul & Wolfgang Pesendorfer, 2006. "Random Expected Utility," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 74(1), pages 121-146, January.
    7. Nishimura, Hiroki & Ok, Efe A., 2014. "Non-existence of continuous choice functions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 376-391.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Erya & Kopylov, Igor, 2023. "Random quasi-linear utility," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Turansick, Christopher, 2022. "Identification in the random utility model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    2. Yang, Erya & Kopylov, Igor, 2023. "Random quasi-linear utility," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    3. Ismaël Rafaï & Sébastien Duchêne & Eric Guerci & Irina Basieva & Andrei Khrennikov, 2022. "The triple-store experiment: a first simultaneous test of classical and quantum probabilities in choice over menus," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 92(2), pages 387-406, March.
    4. Mira Frick & Ryota Iijima & Tomasz Strzalecki, 2019. "Dynamic Random Utility," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 87(6), pages 1941-2002, November.
    5. Lin, Yi-Hsuan, 2022. "Stochastic choice and rational inattention," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    6. Duffy, Sean & Gussman, Steven & Smith, John, 2021. "Visual judgments of length in the economics laboratory: Are there brains in stochastic choice?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    7. Pennesi, Daniele, 2021. "Intertemporal discrete choice," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 690-706.
    8. Li, Boyao, 2023. "Random utility models with status quo bias," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    9. Duffy, Sean & Smith, John, 2020. "An economist and a psychologist form a line: What can imperfect perception of length tell us about stochastic choice?," MPRA Paper 99417, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Lu, Jay & Saito, Kota, 2018. "Random intertemporal choice," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 780-815.
    11. McClellon, Morgan, 2016. "Confidence models of incomplete preferences," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 30-34.
    12. Haoge Chang & Yusuke Narita & Kota Saito, 2022. "Approximating Choice Data by Discrete Choice Models," Papers 2205.01882, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2023.
    13. Simone Cerreia-Vioglio & David Dillenberger & Pietro Ortoleva & Gil Riella, 2019. "Deliberately Stochastic," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(7), pages 2425-2445, July.
      • Simone Cerreia-Vioglio & David Dillenberger & Pietro Ortoleva & Gil Riella, 2012. "Deliberately Stochastic," PIER Working Paper Archive 17-013, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 25 May 2017.
    14. Jose Apesteguia & Miguel A. Ballester, 2016. "Stochastic representatitve agent," Economics Working Papers 1536, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    15. Minardi, Stefania & Savochkin, Andrei, 2015. "Preferences with grades of indecisiveness," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 300-331.
    16. Karni, Edi & Safra, Zvi, 2016. "A theory of stochastic choice under uncertainty," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 164-173.
    17. Wei Ma, 2023. "Random dual expected utility," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 75(2), pages 293-315, February.
    18. Guo, Liang, 2021. "Contextual deliberation and the choice-valuation preference reversal," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    19. Jose Apesteguia & Miguel Ángel Ballester, 2018. "Separating Predicted Randomness from Noise," Working Papers 1018, Barcelona School of Economics.
    20. S. Cerreia-Vioglio & F. Maccheroni & M. Marinacci & A. Rustichini, 2017. "Multinomial logit processes and preference discovery: inside and outside the black box," Working Papers 615, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Random choice; Random expected utility; Capacities; Tie-breaking;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:202:y:2022:i:c:s0022053122000485. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622869 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.