This new monograph presents Dr. Luce's current understanding of the behavioral properties people exhibit (or should exhibit) when they make selections among alternatives and how these properties lead to numerical representations of those preferences. It summarizes, and places in historical perspective, the research Dr. Luce has done on utility theory for over 10 years. Included are axiomatic theoretical formulations, experiments designed to test individual assumptions, and analyses of the fit to bodies of data of numerical representations derived from the theory.

R. Duncan Luce

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Basic Assumptions. Binary Gambles of Gains. Joint Receipt of Gains. General Gambles of Gains. Additive Utility Over Mixed Consequences. Additive Value Over Mixed Consequences. Concluding Comments. Appendices: Summary of Notations. Basic Behavioral Assumptions. PEST Procedure. Additive Conjoint Measurement. Major Definitions.