Sequential Learning under Informational Ambiguity.

This paper investigates a sequential social learning problem in which individuals face ambiguity about others' signal structures and have max-min expected utility preferences, thereby exhibiting ambiguity aversion. Unlike previous findings, which suggest that learning outcomes depend on the specific...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:American Economic Review Vol. 116; no. 1; pp. 209 - 246
Autor principal: Chen, Jaden Yang
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: American Economic Association Jan2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jan2026
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        atl: Sequential Learning under Informational Ambiguity.
      aug:
        au: Chen, Jaden Yang
        affil: Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
      su:
        Social influence
        Social learning
        Ambiguity tolerance
        Sequential learning
        Ambiguity
      sug:
        subj:
          Social influence
          Social learning
          Ambiguity tolerance
          Sequential learning
          Ambiguity
      ab: This paper investigates a sequential social learning problem in which individuals face ambiguity about others' signal structures and have max-min expected utility preferences, thereby exhibiting ambiguity aversion. Unlike previous findings, which suggest that learning outcomes depend on the specifics of the learning environment, this study establishes information cascades as a robust outcome under ambiguity. With sufficient ambiguity, cascades arise almost surely, regardless of the statistical properties of signal structures. Moreover, standard results predicting the absence of cascades can easily break down: Even minimal ambiguity can trigger cascades when signals are bounded and lead to incorrect herding when signals are unbounded. (JEL D81, D82, D83)
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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