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No Two Experiments are Identical

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  • Epstein, Larry G.
  • Halevy, Yoram

Abstract

We study choice between bets on the colors of two balls, where one ball is drawn from each of two urns. Though you are told the same about each urn, you are told very little, so that you are not given any reason to be certain that the compositions are identical. We identify choices that reveal an aversion to ambiguity about the relation between urns, thus identifying a source of uncertainty different from the usual Knightian distinction between risk and ambiguity. Behavior is studied in a controlled high-stakes laboratory experiment, and the ability to rationalize the experimental findings is examined.

Suggested Citation

  • Epstein, Larry G. & Halevy, Yoram, 2014. "No Two Experiments are Identical," Microeconomics.ca working papers yoram_halevy-2014-9, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 15 Feb 2017.
    • Handle: RePEc:ubc:pmicro:yoram_halevy-2014-9
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    File URL: http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/yhalevy/correlation.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Epstein, Larry G. & Seo, Kyoungwon, 2014. "De Finetti meets Ellsberg," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 11-26.
    2. Pierpaolo Battigalli & Simone Cerreia-Vioglio & Fabio Maccheroni & Massimo Marinacci, 2017. "Mixed extensions of decision problems under uncertainty," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 63(4), pages 827-866, April.
    3. Olivier Armantier & Nicolas Treich, 2016. "The Rich Domain of Risk," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(7), pages 1954-1969, July.
    4. Calford, Evan M., 2020. "Uncertainty aversion in game theory: Experimental evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 720-734.
    5. Kfir Eliaz & Pietro Ortoleva, 2016. "Multidimensional Ellsberg," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(8), pages 2179-2197, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ambiguity; uncertainty; correlation; Ellsberg;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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