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`What an Ugly Baby!'

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  • David Sally

    (Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management, 371 Sage Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA dfs12@cornell.edu)

Abstract

The understanding of coordination games has increased greatly over the last thirty years through advances in game theory and tests in experimental economics laboratories. A given utterance, of necessity, is a puzzle and creates a coordination game of meaning. The solution principles used in this game should be consistent with those found in all coordination games, and can explain certain elements of pragmatics: in particular, when a speaker can successfully employ irony, metaphor, humor, hints, indirectness, and implication.

Suggested Citation

  • David Sally, 2002. "`What an Ugly Baby!'," Rationality and Society, , vol. 14(1), pages 78-108, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:14:y:2002:i:1:p:78-108
    DOI: 10.1177/1043463102014001004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:cup:judgdm:v:4:y:2009:i:1:p:51-63 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Alessandra Casella & Navin Kartik & Luis Sanchez & Sébastien Turban, 2018. "Communication in context: Interpreting promises in an experiment on competition and trust," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 115(5), pages 933-938, January.
    3. Sally, David, 2005. "Can I say "bobobo" and mean "There's no such thing as cheap talk"?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 245-266, July.
    4. Keren, Gideon, 2007. "Framing, intentions, and trust-choice incompatibility," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 238-255, July.
    5. Marc van Buiten & Gideon Keren, 2009. "Speakers' choice of frame in binary choice: Effects of recommendation mode and option attractiveness," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 4(1), pages 51-63, February.

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