Misperception and Cognition in Markets

We consider a market setting where a consumer holds either a naive or sophisticated perception of their preference over products. We introduce the concept of a cognitive equilibrium, in which the consumer can transition between the cognitive states of naiveté and sophistication depending on the degr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Benjamin Young
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-10-01
Series:Games
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4336/13/6/71
Description
Summary:We consider a market setting where a consumer holds either a naive or sophisticated perception of their preference over products. We introduce the concept of a cognitive equilibrium, in which the consumer can transition between the cognitive states of naiveté and sophistication depending on the degree of exploitation in the market. We compare market outcomes under monopoly and competition. While competition unambiguously improves market outcomes when the consumer’s cognitive state is exogenous, it can strictly lower gains from trade when cognitive states are endogenously determined.
ISSN:2073-4336