Abstract
Tversky (1972) has proposed a family of models for paired-comparison data that generalize the Bradley—Terry—Luce (BTL) model and can, therefore, apply to a diversity of situations in which the BTL model is doomed to fail. In this article, we present a Matlab function that makes it easy to specify any of these general models (EBA, Pretree, or BTL) and to estimate their parameters. The program eliminates the time-consuming task of constructing the likelihood function by hand for every single model. The usage of the program is illustratedby several examples. Features of the algorithm are outlined. The purpose of this article is to facilitate the use of probabilistic choice models in the analysis of data resulting from paired comparisons.
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This article was completed while the authors were employed at the Sound Quality Research Unit at Aalborg University. This unit receives financial support from Delta Acoustics & Vibration, Brüel & Kjær, and Bang & Olufsen, as well as from the Danish National Agency for Industry and Trade (EFS) and the Danish Technical Research Council (STVF).
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Wickelmaier, F., Schmid, C. A Matlab function to estimate choice model parameters from paired-comparison data. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers 36, 29–40 (2004). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03195547
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03195547