Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Decision by sampling implements efficient coding of psychoeconomic functions.

Psychological Review 2018 November
The theory of decision by sampling (DbS) proposes that an attribute's subjective value is its rank within a sample of attribute values retrieved from memory. This can account for instances of context dependence beyond the reach of classic theories that assume stable preferences. In this paper, we provide a normative justification for DbS that is based on the principle of efficient coding. The efficient representation of information in a noiseless communication channel is characterized by a uniform response distribution, which the rank transformation implements. However, cognitive limitations imply that decision samples are finite, introducing noise. Efficient coding in a noisy channel requires smoothing of the signal, a principle that leads to a new generalization of DbS. This generalization is closely connected to range-frequency theory, and helps descriptively account for a wider set of behavioral observations, such as how context sensitivity varies with the number of available response categories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app