Separating probability weighting and risk aversion in first-price auctions

C-Tier
Journal: Economics Letters
Year: 2022
Volume: 221
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

0.335 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

In first price sealed-bid auctions, a power probability weighting function is observationally equivalent to a model with constant relative risk aversion. By comparing auctions with different ceilings on a computerized opponent’s bid space, we can separate inverse S-shaped probability weighting as commonly used in the literature and risk-averse preferences from the distribution of observed bids. We find evidence to support both theories in the data. However, we also observe a significant number of violations after accounting for decision noise, which suggest that bidders’ valuations may be malleable to cues of the auction environment.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecolet:v:221:y:2022:i:c:s0165176522003652
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25