Stochastic Utility Theorem

Pavlo R. Blavatskyy

No 311, IEW - Working Papers from Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich

Abstract: This paper analyzes individual decision making under risk. It is assumed that an individual does not have a preference relation on the set of risky lotteries. Instead, an individual possesses a probability measure that captures the likelihood of one lottery being chosen over the other. Choice probabilities have a stochastic utility representation if they can be written as a non-decreasing function of the difference in expected utilities of the lotteries. Choice probabilities admit a stochastic utility representation if and only if they are complete, strongly transitive, continuous, independent of common consequences and interchangeable. Axioms of stochastic utility are consistent with systematic violations of betweenness and a common ratio effect but not with a common consequence effect. Special cases of stochastic utility include the Fechner model of random errors, Luce choice model and a tremble model of Harless and Camerer (1994).

Keywords: Expected utility theory; stochastic utility; Fechner model; Luce choice model; tremble (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D81 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dcm, nep-ore and nep-upt
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zur:iewwpx:311

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