Implicit Preferences Inferred from Choice

Tom Cunningham and Jonathan de Quidt

No 5704, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: A longstanding distinction in psychology is between implicit and explicit preferences. Implicit preferences are ordinarily measured by observing non-choice data, such as response time. In this paper we introduce a method for inferring implicit preferences directly from choices. The necessary assumption is that implicit preferences toward an attribute (e.g. gender, race, sugar) have a stronger effect when the attribute is mixed with others, and so the decision becomes less “revealing” about one’s preferences. We discuss reasons why preferences would have this property, advantages and disadvantages of this method relative to other measures of implicit preferences, and application to measuring implicit preferences in racial discrimination, self-control, and framing effects.

Keywords: implicit discrimination; bias; judgement and decision making; choice-set effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D03 D83 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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