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The additive property of the inconsistency degree in intertemporal decision making through the generalization of psychophysical laws

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  • Natalia Destefano
  • Alexandre Souto Martinez

Abstract

Intertemporal decision making involves choices among options whose effects occur at different moments. These choices are influenced not only by the effect of rewards value perception at different moments, but also by the time perception effect. One of the main difficulties that affect standard experiments involving intertemporal choices is the simultaneity of both effects on time discounting. In this paper, we unify the psycophysical laws and discount value functions using the one-parameter exponential and logaritmic functions from nonextensive statistical mechanics. Also, we propose to measure the degree of inconsistency. This quantity allow us to discriminate both effects of time and value perception on discounting process and, by integration, obtain other main quantities like impulsivity and discount functions.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalia Destefano & Alexandre Souto Martinez, 2010. "The additive property of the inconsistency degree in intertemporal decision making through the generalization of psychophysical laws," Papers 1010.5648, arXiv.org, revised May 2011.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1010.5648
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thaler, Richard, 1981. "Some empirical evidence on dynamic inconsistency," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 201-207.
    2. Takahashi, Taiki & Oono, Hidemi & Radford, Mark H.B., 2007. "Empirical estimation of consistency parameter in intertemporal choice based on Tsallis’ statistics," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 381(C), pages 338-342.
    3. Takahashi, Taiki & Oono, Hidemi & Radford, Mark H.B., 2008. "Psychophysics of time perception and intertemporal choice models," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(8), pages 2066-2074.
    4. George F. Loewenstein, 1988. "Frames of Mind in Intertemporal Choice," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(2), pages 200-214, February.
    5. West, B.J. & Grigolini, P., 2010. "A psychophysical model of decision making," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 389(17), pages 3580-3587.
    6. Martinez, Alexandre Souto & González, Rodrigo Silva & Terçariol, César Augusto Sangaletti, 2008. "Continuous growth models in terms of generalized logarithm and exponential functions," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(23), pages 5679-5687.
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    8. Paul A. Samuelson, 1937. "A Note on Measurement of Utility," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 4(2), pages 155-161.
    9. Souto Martinez, Alexandre & Silva González, Rodrigo & Lauri Espíndola, Aquino, 2009. "Generalized exponential function and discrete growth models," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 388(14), pages 2922-2930.
    10. Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, 2008. "Economics needs a scientific revolution," Nature, Nature, vol. 455(7217), pages 1181-1181, October.
    11. Alexandre Souto Martinez & Rodrigo Silva Gonzalez & Cesar Augusto Sangaletti Tercariol, 2008. "Continuous growth models in terms of generalized logarithm and exponential functions," Papers 0803.2635, arXiv.org, revised May 2008.
    12. Takahashi, Taiki, 2007. "A comparison of intertemporal choices for oneself versus someone else based on Tsallis’ statistics," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 385(2), pages 637-644.
    13. Takahashi, Taiki, 2008. "A comparison between Tsallis’s statistics-based and generalized quasi-hyperbolic discount models in humans," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 387(2), pages 551-556.
    14. Cajueiro, Daniel O., 2006. "A note on the relevance of the q-exponential function in the context of intertemporal choices," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 364(C), pages 385-388.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lu, Yang & Zhuang, Xintian, 2014. "The impact of gender and working experience on intertemporal choices," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 409(C), pages 146-153.
    2. dos Santos, Lindomar Soares & Destefano, Natália & Martinez, Alexandre Souto, 2018. "Decision making generalized by a cumulative probability weighting function," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 490(C), pages 250-259.
    3. Han, Ruokang & Takahashi, Taiki, 2012. "Psychophysics of time perception and valuation in temporal discounting of gain and loss," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 391(24), pages 6568-6576.
    4. Rivera-Castro, Miguel A. & Miranda, José G.V. & Borges, Ernesto P. & Cajueiro, Daniel O. & Andrade, Roberto F.S., 2012. "A top–bottom price approach to understanding financial fluctuations," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 391(4), pages 1489-1496.
    5. Salvador Cruz Rambaud & María José Muñoz Torrecillas, 2016. "Measuring Impatience in Intertemporal Choice," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-17, February.

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