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From Psycho-Economics to Neuro-Economics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2015

Bernard Walliser*
Affiliation:
Paris School of Economics
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Summary

In economics, three nested organizational levels, namely behavioural, mental and neural, can be distinguished. They introduce specific theoretical or observable concepts and suggest their own models for choice making. If psycho-economics relates implemented actions to declared mental states, neuro-economics relates mental states to brain areas. Bridge principles can be defined which link concepts with similar interpretations at two successive levels. Thanks to these principles, relations or even models independently suggested at two successive levels may well be associated. Some prescriptive applications of these principles were more recently proposed, but they remain grounded on a too fragile basis.

En économie, trois niveaux d'organisation emboîtés - en l'occurrence comportemental, mental et neuronal - sont traditionnellement distingués. Ils introduisent des concepts théoriques ou observationnels spécifiques et proposent leurs propres modèles pour la prise de décision d'un individu. Si la psychoéconomie relie les actions qu'il met en œuvre aux états mentaux qu'il affiche, la neuro-économie relie ses états mentaux aux zones actives de son cerveau. Sont ainsi définis des principes de pontage qui mettent en relation des concepts ayant une interprétation semblable et définis à deux niveaux successifs. Grâce à ces principes, des relations ou même des modèles suggérés indépendamment à deux niveaux adjacents peuvent être associés. Si quelques applications prescriptives de ces principes ont été plus récemment proposées, elles reposent encore sur une base conceptuelle très fragile.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de recherches économiques et sociales 2012 

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