This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

A Million Answers to Twenty Questions: Choosing by Checklist

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Michael Mandler (Royal Holloway, University of London)
Paola Manzini () (Queen Mary, University of London and IZA)
Marco Mariotti () (Queen Mary, University of London)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Many decision models in marketing science and psychology assume that a consumer chooses by proceeding sequentially through a checklist of desirable properties. These models are contrasted to the utility maximization model of rationality in economics. We show on the contrary that the two approaches are nearly equivalent. Moreover, the length of the shortest checklist as a proportion of the number of an agent's indifference classes shrinks to 0 (at an exponential rate) as the number of indifference classes increases. Checklists therefore provide a rapid procedural basis for utility maximization.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.econ.qmul.ac.uk/papers/doc/wp622.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Queen Mary, University of London, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 622.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Mar 2008
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:qmw:qmwecw:wp622

Contact details of provider:
Postal: London E1 4NS
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7882 5096
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8983 3580
Web page: http://www.econ.qmul.ac.uk
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Nick Vriend).

Related research
Keywords: Bounded rationality Procedural rationality Utility maximization Choice behavior

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Rubinstein, Ariel, 1996. "Why Are Certain Properties of Binary Relations Relatively More Common in Natural Language?," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(2), pages 343-55, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Paola Manzini & Marco Mariotti, 2007. "Sequentially Rationalizable Choice," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(5), pages 1824-1839, December.
  3. Rubinstein, Ariel & Salant, Yuval, 2006. "A model of choice from lists," Theoretical Economics, Society for Economic Theory, vol. 1(1), pages 3-17, March. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Dulleck, Uwe & Hackl, Franz & Weiss, Bernhard & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2008. "Buying Online: Sequential Decision Making by Shopbot Visitors," Economics Series 225, Institute for Advanced Studies. [Downloadable!]
  2. Bernhard Weiss & Uwe Dulleck & Franz Hackl & Rudolf Winter-Ebmer, 2008. "Buying Online: Sequential Decision Making by Shopbot Visitors," Economics working papers 2008-10, Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You too can volunteer for RePEc, for example by encouraging others to use our services.

This page was last updated on 2008-10-2.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.