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Convergence in models of misspecified learning

Title / Series / Name
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Pages
Editors
Keywords
Bayesian learning
Berk–Nash equilibrium
D83
D90
Misspecified model
convergence
General Economics,Econometrics and Finance
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/27347
Abstract
We establish convergence of beliefs and actions in a class of one-dimensional learning settings in which the agent's model is misspecified, she chooses actions endogenously, and the actions affect how she misinterprets information. Our stochastic-approximation-based methods rely on two crucial features: that the state and action spaces are continuous, and that the agent's posterior admits a one-dimensional summary statistic. Through a basic model with a normal–normal updating structure and a generalization in which the agent's misinterpretation of information can depend on her current beliefs in a flexible way, we show that these features are compatible with a number of specifications of how exactly the agent updates. Applications of our framework include learning by a person who has an incorrect model of a technology she uses or is overconfident about herself, learning by a representative agent who may misunderstand macroeconomic outcomes, and learning by a firm that has an incorrect parametric model of demand.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2021-01
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.3982/TE3558
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