Open AccessMagical thinking: A representation result
Author(s) -
Daley Brendan,
Sadowski Philipp
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
theoretical economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.404
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1555-7561
pISSN - 1933-6837
DOI - 10.3982/te2099
Subject(s) - axiom , dilemma , mathematical economics , representation (politics) , computer science , range (aeronautics) , prisoner's dilemma , dove , game theory , artificial intelligence , epistemology , economics , mathematics , marketing , political science , philosophy , materials science , geometry , politics , law , composite material , business
This paper suggests a novel way to import the approach of axiomatic theories of individual choice into strategic settings and demonstrates the benefits of this approach. We propose both a tractable behavioral model as well as axioms applied to the behavior of the collection of players, focusing first on prisoners' dilemma games. A representation theorem establishes these axioms as the precise behavioral content of the model, and that the model's parameters are (essentially) uniquely identified from behavior. The behavioral model features magical thinking : players behave as if their expectations about their opponents' behavior vary with their own choices. The model provides a unified view of documented behavior in a range of often studied games, such as the prisoners' dilemma, the battle of the sexes, hawk–dove, and the stag hunt, and also generates novel predictions across games.