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American Economic Review: Vol. 102 No. 5 (August 2012)

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Heuristic Thinking and Limited Attention in the Car Market

Article Citation

Lacetera, Nicola, Devin G. Pope, and Justin R. Sydnor. 2012. "Heuristic Thinking and Limited Attention in the Car Market." American Economic Review, 102(5): 2206-36.

DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.5.2206

Abstract

Can heuristic information processing affect important product markets? Analyzing over 22 million wholesale used-car transactions, we find evidence of left-digit bias in the processing of odometer values, whereby individuals focus on the number's leftmost digits. The bias leads to discontinuous drops in sale prices at 10,000-mile odometer thresholds, along with smaller drops at 1,000-mile thresholds. These findings reveal that information-processing heuristics matter even in markets with large stakes and easily observed information. We model left-digit bias in an inattention framework and structurally estimate the inattention parameter. Empirical patterns suggest the results are driven by final customers rather than professional agents. (JEL D12, D44, D83, L81)

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Authors

Lacetera, Nicola (U Toronto)
Pope, Devin G. (U Chicago)
Sydnor, Justin R. (U WI)

JEL Classifications

D12: Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
D44: Auctions
D83: Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief
L81: Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce


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