Preference measurement and manipulation in experimental economics

Hande Erkut, Ernesto Reuben

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

One of the foundations of economic theory is that the choices individuals make are driven by their preferences. Importantly for economic modeling, preferences are commonly assumed to be rationalizable by a utility function. The predictive ability of most microeconomic models relies on properly quantifying these preferences and their rationalizability. Hence, this is a challenging but necessary task. In this chapter, we discuss methodologies used in experimental economics to measure preference and their degree of consistency with utility maximization. Topics include the measurement of risk, intertemporal, and social preferences. Moreover, we discuss the effects of manipulating revealed preferences though framing and the revelation of normative information.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Research Methods and Applications in Experimental Economics
EditorsArthur Schram, Aljaz Ule
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
ISBN (Electronic)9781788110563
ISBN (Print)9781788110556
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jul 2019
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameEconomics 2019
PublisherEdward Elgar

Keywords

  • experimental economocs
  • economic theory

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