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Self-selected intervals in psycho-physic experiments and the measurement of willingness to pay

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  • Persichina, Marco
  • Kriström, Bengt

Abstract

Standard elicitation approaches used to obtain quantitative information typically assume that individuals can provide a precise value. For unfamiliar (as well as familiar) goods, this is a strong assumption. We suggest the use of self-selected intervals, in which the shortest possible interval is a point, i.e. the standard case. To explore this idea we use a state-of-the-art psychophysics lab experiment (N=60), in which five specific sound environments were randomly inserted into a set of 31 pairwise comparisons to elicit the subjective value of reducing ambient noise. We found that valuation uncertainty, measured as the length of a self-selected interval, is independent of the psychophysical conditions. The length of the interval is determined mainly by the subjective value of improving the environment, independent of the level of noise. These results, according to our review of the literature, are new. Interval elicitation enables individuals to provide reasonably consistent rankings of environmental improvements, even if individuals find it difficult to pin down a precise value. Thus, self-selected interval elicitation seems to have merit.

Suggested Citation

  • Persichina, Marco & Kriström, Bengt, 2022. "Self-selected intervals in psycho-physic experiments and the measurement of willingness to pay," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:98:y:2022:i:c:s2214804322000155
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2022.101839
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    self-selected interval; willingness to pay; elicitation surveys; psychophysics stimuli; sound experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Q59 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Other

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