Information Theory and Observational Limitations in Decision Making
We introduce a general framework for formalizing and analyzing the problem faced by a Decision Maker (DM) working under information-theoretic constraints on their observational ability. The random utility model and the "hedonic utility" model of Netzer and Robson (NR) are special cases of this framework. We begin by applying information theory to our framework to derive general results concerning the expected regret of DM under observational limitations. We then turn our attention to the effects of observational limitations on choice behavior (rather than their effects on the regret values induced by that behavior). We focus on the special case of NR. First we derive two postulates assumed by NR. We then provide a simple derivation of the result of NR that a particular hedonic utility function satisfies certain optimality principles. Next we extend NR to allow a countable, rather than uncountable, set of states of the world. In particular we show how to use dynamic programming to solve for the optimal preference order of DM in this extension. We also extend NR by considering the case where more than two options are presented to DM. In particular, we show that the results of NR change in such a case, implying that the number of options being presented is a crucial aspect of choice problems.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Volume (Year): 12 (2012)
Issue (Month): 1 (January)
Pages: 1-43
| Handle: | RePEc:bpj:bejtec:v:12:y:2012:i:1:n:5 |
| Contact details of provider: | Web page: https://www.degruyter.com
|
| Order Information: | Web: https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bejte |
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.:
- Drew Fudenberg & Jean Tirole, 1991. "Game Theory," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262061414.
- Sergiu Hart, 2013.
"Adaptive Heuristics,"
World Scientific Book Chapters,in: Simple Adaptive Strategies From Regret-Matching to Uncoupled Dynamics, chapter 11, pages 253-287
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
- Sergiu Hart, 2005. "Adaptive Heuristics," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 73(5), pages 1401-1430, 09.
- Sergiu Hart, 2004. "Adaptive Heuristics," Discussion Paper Series dp372, The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
- Sergiu Hart, 2004. "Adaptive Heuristics," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000000471, UCLA Department of Economics.
- Train,Kenneth E., 2009. "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521766555, December.
- Train,Kenneth E., 2009. "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521747387, December.
- Kenneth Train, 2003. "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation," Online economics textbooks, SUNY-Oswego, Department of Economics, number emetr2.
- Drew Fudenberg & David K. Levine, 1998. "The Theory of Learning in Games," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262061945.
- Drew Fudenberg & David K. Levine, 1996. "The Theory of Learning in Games," Levine's Working Paper Archive 624, David K. Levine.
- Chris Starmer, 2000. "Developments in Non-expected Utility Theory: The Hunt for a Descriptive Theory of Choice under Risk," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(2), pages 332-382, June. Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:bejtec:v:12:y:2012:i:1:n:5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Peter Golla)
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 references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link 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 profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.
This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis using RePEc data.