scholarly journals Testing the consistency of preferences in discrete choice experiments: an eye tracking study

Author(s):  
Michelle S Segovia ◽  
Marco A Palma

Abstract A within-subjects experiment with eye tracking was implemented to test the consistency of preferences over three repeated choice experiments. The empirical results indicate that after changing the position of the same alternatives in the choice set, participants were consistent with their choices 69 per cent of the time. Moreover, after reverting back to the identical original positions of the alternatives but randomising the order of the choice sets, individuals’ choices were consistent 67 per cent of the time. Eye tracking data revealed that subjects’ visual attention towards the product attributes was also consistent over the sequence of choices. The robustness of these results was further demonstrated by using random parameters models with flexible mixing distributions to calculate willingness-to-pay for the product attributes and compare its consistency across choice experiments.

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Mulhern ◽  
Richard Norman ◽  
Koonal Shah ◽  
Nick Bansback ◽  
Louise Longworth ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-207
Author(s):  
Insa Thiermann ◽  
Gunnar Breustedt ◽  
Uwe Latacz-Lohmann

Im vorliegenden Artikel wurde mithilfe eines Discrete-Choice-Experiments bestimmt, welche Faktoren die Entscheidung von Landwirten beeinflussen, an einem hypothetischen Förderprogramm zur Ansäuerung von Gülle bei der Feldausbringung teilzunehmen. Bei der Gülleansäuerung handelt es sich um ein in Dänemark verbreitetes Verfahren zur Minderung von Ammoniakemissionen. Die Merkmale aus den Choice-Sets bildeten die Eigenschaften des Verfahrens (Emissionsminderung), der Finanzierung (Erstattung der zusätzlichen Kosten) und der gesetzlichen Regelungen (mindestens anzurechnende Stickstoffmenge, Erlass von Auflagen der Düngeverordnung) ab. Die Auswertung der Befragung erfolgte durch ein Mixed-Logit-Modell und die Schätzung latenter Klassen. Insgesamt zeigte sich eine sehr hohe Bereitschaft an möglichen Förderprogrammen teilzunehmen und das Verfahren zu nutzen. Die Entscheidung für die Gülleansäuerung wurde positiv von der zu erwartenden Emissionsreduktion und der Erstattung der zusätzlichen Kosten beeinflusst. Auch das Angebot, Gülle nicht einarbeiten zu müssen, wirkte sich positiv auf die Teilnahmebereitschaft aus. Die Vorgabe, den zusätzlich enthaltenden Stickstoff in der Düngebedarfsberechnung anzusetzen, senkte die Bereitschaft der Teilnahme.


Author(s):  
Deborah J. Street ◽  
Rosalie Viney

Discrete choice experiments are a popular stated preference tool in health economics and have been used to address policy questions, establish consumer preferences for health and healthcare, and value health states, among other applications. They are particularly useful when revealed preference data are not available. Most commonly in choice experiments respondents are presented with a situation in which a choice must be made and with a a set of possible options. The options are described by a number of attributes, each of which takes a particular level for each option. The set of possible options is called a “choice set,” and a set of choice sets comprises the choice experiment. The attributes and levels are chosen by the analyst to allow modeling of the underlying preferences of respondents. Respondents are assumed to make utility-maximizing decisions, and the goal of the choice experiment is to estimate how the attribute levels affect the utility of the individual. Utility is assumed to have a systematic component (related to the attributes and levels) and a random component (which may relate to unobserved determinants of utility, individual characteristics or random variation in choices), and an assumption must be made about the distribution of the random component. The structure of the set of choice sets, from the universe of possible choice sets represented by the attributes and levels, that is shown to respondents determines which models can be fitted to the observed choice data and how accurately the effect of the attribute levels can be estimated. Important structural issues include the number of options in each choice set and whether or not options in the same choice set have common attribute levels. Two broad approaches to constructing the set of choice sets that make up a DCE exist—theoretical and algorithmic—and no consensus exists about which approach consistently delivers better designs, although simulation studies and in-field comparisons of designs constructed by both approaches exist.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Mulhern ◽  
Nick Bansback ◽  
Arne Risa Hole ◽  
Aki Tsuchiya

Background: Discrete choice experiments incorporating duration can be used to derive health state values for EQ-5D-5L. Yet, methodological issues relating to the duration attribute and the optimal way to select health states remain. The aims of this study were to: test increasing the number of duration levels and choice sets where duration varies (aim 1); compare designs with zero and non-zero prior values (aim 2); and investigate a novel, two-stage design to incorporate prior values (aim 3). Methods: Informed by zero and non-zero prior values, two efficient designs were developed, each consisting of 120 EQ-5D-5L health profile pairs with one of six duration levels (aims 1 and 2). Another 120 health state pairs were selected, with one of six duration levels allocated in a second stage based on existing estimated utility of the states (aim 3). An online sample of 2,002 members of the UK general population completed 10 choice sets each. Differences across the regression coefficients from the three designs were assessed. Results: The zero prior value design produced a model with coefficients that were generally logically ordered, but the non-zero prior value design resulted in a set of less ordered coefficients where some differed significantly. The two-stage design resulted in ordered and significant coefficients. The non-zero prior value design may include more “difficult” choice sets, based on the proportions choosing each profile. Conclusions: There is some indication of compromised “respondent efficiency”, suggesting that the use of non-zero prior values will not necessarily result in better overall precision. It is feasible to design discrete choice experiments in two stages by allocating duration values to EQ-5D-5L health state pairs based on estimates from prior studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 35-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennet Uggeldahl ◽  
Catrine Jacobsen ◽  
Thomas Hedemark Lundhede ◽  
Søren Bøye Olsen

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Barreiro-Hurle ◽  
Maria Espinosa-Goded ◽  
Jose Miguel Martinez-Paz ◽  
Angel Perni

<p>Discrete choice experiments (DCE) normally include in their choice sets an option described as the status quo (i.e. no change to current situation; SQ). The literature has identified Status Quo Effect (SQE) as the systematic preference of the SQ over the alternatives that propose changes over and beyond what can be captured by the variation of attributes’ levels. In this paper, we conduct a meta-analysis of DCE applied in environmental policy to identify potential drivers of SQE. We find that accounting for heterogeneity in the econometric analysis, excluding protest responses and easing the choice’s cognitive burden reduce the presence of SQE.</p>


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