Impact of Process Misconception in Becker-DeGroot-Marschak Single Response Value Elicitation Procedures: An Experimental Investigation in Consumer Behavior Using the IKEA Effect

Consumer researchers frequently employ valuation experiments to assess consumer opinions and test related hypotheses. One popular method used in many such experiments is the Becker- DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) single-response value elicitation procedure that initiates an incentive for the subjects to respond with their true valuation by utilizing a random bid to which the participants’ bid is compared. However, the “random bid” is not a straightforward concept, and the participants may not fully understand the mechanics of the bidding process. Therefore, they may incorrectly associate the bidding mechanism with a conventional auction bidding process in which the highest bidder wins, causing biased valuation outcomes. In this paper, we introduce a comprehension measurement step to eliminate the process comprehension bias in BDM valuation experiments. We also discuss the potential impact of the treatment of “zero” bidders in the BDM procedure. The present work shows that the size and statistical significance of past consumer research results are positively correlated with the participant comprehension of the valuation procedure. The results suggest that consumer research using a single-response value elicitation procedure, which initiates an incentive for the subjects to respond with their true valuation, may not be trusted if the comprehension level is not controlled.

Tra i Leoni: Revealing the Preferences Behind a Superstition

We investigate a superstition for which adherence is nearly universal. Using a combination of field interventions that involve unsuspecting participants and a lab-style value elicitation, we measure the strength of peoples' underlying preferences, and to what extent their behavior is driven by social conformity rather than the superstition itself. Our findings indicate that both mechanisms influence behavior. While a substantial number of people are willing to incur a relatively high individual cost in order to adhere to the superstition, for many, adherence is contingent on the the behavior of others. Our findings suggest that it is the conforming nature of the majority that sustains the false beliefs of the minority.

Value-elicitation and value-formation properties of discrete choice experiment and experimental auctions

This paper tests if second-price Vickrey auction (SPVA) and discrete choice experiment (DCE) are isomorphic, and whether lack of isomorphism is due to value elicitation, value-formation or both. We conduct an artefactual field experiment that combines induced-value (IV) and home-grown (HG) procedures using SPVA and DCE. Induced-value preferences are elicited for tokens and HG preferences for multi-attribute lasagnes. Attributes are healthiness and environmental sustainability. Our results suggest that HG preferences differ across elicitation methods. This discrepancy is due to value-elicitation and value-formation. DCE is the most demand revealing approach and provides the highest premiums for healthy and environmentally sustainable lasagnes.

A Consequential Contingent Valuation Referendum: Still Not Enough to Elicit True Preferences for Public Goods!

Whether respondents disclose their preferences truthfully in surveys that are used to assess the values of public goods remains a crucial question for the practical application of stated preference methods. The literature suggests that in order to elicit true preferences, respondents should see a valuation survey as consequential: they must believe in the actual consequences that may follow from the survey result. Drawing on recent empirical findings, we develop a model depicting the importance of the consequentiality requirement for truthful preference disclosure in a survey that evaluates a public policy project based on a referendum-format value elicitation question. First, we show that a respondent’s belief that his vote may influence the outcome of the referendum plays a central role for revealing his preferences truthfully. Second, we find that the subjectively perceived probabilities of the successful provision of the public good and of the collection of the payment related to the project implementation not only need to be positive but also to be in a particular relationship with each other. This relationship varies in respondents’ preferences towards risk.