Computer Laboratory for Classroom and Research Experiments in Economics

在国家科学基金的支持下，查尔斯·霍尔特博士将购买必要的设备，以升级和扩大弗吉尼亚大学的实验经济学实验室。仪器包括20台Compaq Presario 3060 pc，配有200 Mhz奔腾MMX处理器以及etherlink适配器。这些将被纳入目前的系统。实验经济学家创造了简化的市场环境，其中变量可以被操纵和控制，人类主体可以为真正的金融奖励而竞争。这使得经济学可以将人的因素，包括动机和在不完全信息下行动的需要，引入理论公式和实际市场设计中。例如，1995年联邦通信委员会拍卖个人通信服务带宽的设计就采用了这种实验室预测试。实验研究的结果表明，有经济动机的受试者的行为往往系统性地偏离了标准博弈论的预测，后者假设了完全的理性。有效的模拟需要大量参与者快速互动的能力，而拟议的系统将允许20个参与者在实验中相互联系。这将增加实验的复杂性。霍尔特博士积极参与本科和研究生教学，学生将从升级中受益匪浅。

With National Science support Dr. Charles Holt will purchase equipment necessary to upgrade and expand the experimental economics laboratory at the University of Virginia. Instrumentation includes 20 Compaq Presario 3060 Pcs with 200 Mhz pentium MMX processors as well as etherlink adapters. These will be integrated into the current system. Experimental economists create simplified market situations in which variables can be manipulated and controlled and human subjects can compete for real financial award. This allows economics to introduce human factors including motivation and the need to act with imperfect information into both theoretical formulations and to actual market design. Such laboratory pretest, for example was employed in the design of the 1995 FCC auctions for personal communications services bandwidth. Results from experimental studies have shown that the behavior of financially motivated subjects is often systematically biased away from the predictions of standard game theory which assumes perfect rationality. Effective simulation requires the ability of large numbers of players to interact quickly and the proposed system will allow 20 participants to be experimentally linked. This will allow increased complexity in the experiments performed. Dr. Holt is actively involved in both undergraduate and graduate teaching and students will benefit significantly from the upgrade.