Reacting to ambiguous messages: An experimental analysis

Christian Kellner; Mark T. Le Quement; Gerhard Riener

doi:10.1016/j.geb.2022.09.007

Reacting to ambiguous messages: An experimental analysis

Christian Kellner, Mark T. Le Quement, Gerhard Riener

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Abstract

Ambiguous language is ubiquitous and often deliberate. Recent theoretical work (Bose and Renou, 2014; Kellner and Le Quement, 2018; Beauchêne et al., 2019) has shown how language ambiguation can improve outcomes by mitigating conflict of interest. Our experiment finds a significant effect of language ambiguation on subjects who are proficient at Bayesian updating. For ambiguity averse subjects within this population, a significant part of this effect operates via the channel of subjects' desire to reduce ambiguity. For both ambiguity averse and neutral subjects within this population, an additional behavioral channel is also present.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	360-378
Number of pages	19
Journal	Games and Economic Behavior
Volume	136
Early online date	13 Oct 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geb.2022.09.007
Publication status	Published - Nov 2022

Keywords

Ambiguity aversion
Communication
Laboratory experiment
Persuasion

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10.1016/j.geb.2022.09.007Licence: CC BY

1-s2.0-S0899825622001373-mainAccepted author manuscript, 1.4 MBLicence: CC BY

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title = "Reacting to ambiguous messages: An experimental analysis",

abstract = "Ambiguous language is ubiquitous and often deliberate. Recent theoretical work (Bose and Renou, 2014; Kellner and Le Quement, 2018; Beauch{\^e}ne et al., 2019) has shown how language ambiguation can improve outcomes by mitigating conflict of interest. Our experiment finds a significant effect of language ambiguation on subjects who are proficient at Bayesian updating. For ambiguity averse subjects within this population, a significant part of this effect operates via the channel of subjects' desire to reduce ambiguity. For both ambiguity averse and neutral subjects within this population, an additional behavioral channel is also present.",

keywords = "Ambiguity aversion, Communication, Laboratory experiment, Persuasion",

author = "Christian Kellner and {Le Quement}, {Mark T.} and Gerhard Riener",

note = "Funding Information: Financial support was provided by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) through the grant 235577387/GRK1974.",

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AU - Kellner, Christian

AU - Le Quement, Mark T.

AU - Riener, Gerhard

N1 - Funding Information: Financial support was provided by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) through the grant 235577387/GRK1974.

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Y1 - 2022/11

N2 - Ambiguous language is ubiquitous and often deliberate. Recent theoretical work (Bose and Renou, 2014; Kellner and Le Quement, 2018; Beauchêne et al., 2019) has shown how language ambiguation can improve outcomes by mitigating conflict of interest. Our experiment finds a significant effect of language ambiguation on subjects who are proficient at Bayesian updating. For ambiguity averse subjects within this population, a significant part of this effect operates via the channel of subjects' desire to reduce ambiguity. For both ambiguity averse and neutral subjects within this population, an additional behavioral channel is also present.

AB - Ambiguous language is ubiquitous and often deliberate. Recent theoretical work (Bose and Renou, 2014; Kellner and Le Quement, 2018; Beauchêne et al., 2019) has shown how language ambiguation can improve outcomes by mitigating conflict of interest. Our experiment finds a significant effect of language ambiguation on subjects who are proficient at Bayesian updating. For ambiguity averse subjects within this population, a significant part of this effect operates via the channel of subjects' desire to reduce ambiguity. For both ambiguity averse and neutral subjects within this population, an additional behavioral channel is also present.

KW - Ambiguity aversion

KW - Communication

KW - Laboratory experiment

KW - Persuasion

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DO - 10.1016/j.geb.2022.09.007

M3 - Article

VL - 136

SP - 360

EP - 378

JO - Games and Economic Behavior

JF - Games and Economic Behavior

SN - 0899-8256

ER -

Reacting to ambiguous messages: An experimental analysis

Abstract

Keywords

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