On the Use of Honesty Priming Tasks to Mitigate Hypothetical Bias in Choice Experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 1136-1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziana de-Magistris ◽  
Azucena Gracia ◽  
Rodolfo M. Nayga
Keyword(s):  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Hypothetical Bias

scholarly journals Incentive Compatible Referenda and the Valuation of Environmental Goods

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura O. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Contingent Valuation ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Hypothetical Bias ◽  
The Real ◽  
Environmental Goods ◽  
Incentive Compatible ◽  
Valuation Method

Recent attempts to test the validity of the contingent valuation method have relied on laboratory-type experiments. In these experiments, willingness to pay responses in hypothetical choice experiments are compared with responses from choice experiments requiring actual payments. Often evidence of hypothetical bias is found. Critical for these experimental tests of hypothetical surveys is that the methodology used to elicit willingness to pay from subjects in the real-payment experiment be demand revealing. If it is not, then differences in responses to hypothetical and real valuation questions could be due to free-riding in the real-payment survey and not due to hypothetical bias in the hypothetical survey. This paper reports on experiments that implement a theoretically incentive-compatible revelation mechanism (a closed referendum) to elicit responses to valuation questions in both hypothetical and real experiments. As in earlier studies, evidence of an upward hypothetical bias is found.

scholarly journals Comparing treatments to reduce hypothetical bias in choice experiments regarding organic food

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 1302-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelina Gschwandtner ◽  
Michael Burton
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Cheap Talk ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Hypothetical Bias ◽  
Stated Preference Methods ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Hypothetical bias is one of the strongest criticisms brought to stated preference methods. We evaluate and compare the use of Cheap Talk and Honesty Priming as methods to mitigate such bias. Our study analyses the demand for organic food products in the UK, and the results reveal a core of consumers with positive willingness to pay (WTP) for organic. However, when correcting for hypothetical bias, consumers appear to be willing to pay even more for other attributes. Most importantly, the results show that implementing mechanisms to correct for hypothetical bias are efficient to reduce WTP, with Cheap Talk having a higher overall significance than Honesty Priming.

A query theory account of a discrete choice experiment under oath

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 1133-1172
Author(s):  
Nathan P Kemper ◽  
Jennie S Popp ◽  
Rodolfo M Nayga
Keyword(s):  
Discrete Choice Experiment ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Hypothetical Bias ◽  
Discrete Choice Experiments ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Stated Preference Methods ◽  
Ex Ante

Abstract One limitation of stated-preference methods is the formation of hypothetical bias. To address this, the honesty oath has been used as an ex ante technique to reduce hypothetical bias. Our study provides a query account of the honesty oath in a discrete-choice experiment setting by using Query Theory to examine the mechanism behind the effectiveness of the honesty oath. Our results show that the honesty oath can change the content and order of queries; potentially reducing hypothetical bias in discrete choice experiments. The study suggests the potential usefulness of Query Theory in examining thought processes of respondents in valuation studies.

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