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Rational Choice and the Structure of the Environment

Item

Title

Rational Choice and the Structure of the Environment

Abstract/Description

In this paper I have attempted to identify some of the structural characteristics that are typical of the 'psychological' environments of organisms. We have seen that an organism in an environment with these characteristics requires only very simple perceptual and choice mechanisms to satisfy its several needs and to assure a high probability of its survival over extended periods of time. In particular, no 'utility function' needs to be postulated for the organism, nor does it require any elaborate procedure for calculating marginal rates of substitution among different wants.

Author/creator

Date

In publication

Volume

63

Issue

2

Pages

129-138

Resource type

Background/Context

Medium

Print

Background/context type

Conceptual

Open access/free-text available

Yes

ISSN

1939-1471

Citation

Simon, H. A. (1956). Rational Choice and the Structure of the Environment. Psychological Review, 63(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0042769

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