Abstract:

Over the last ten years major progress has been made in the area of multidimensional preference models and related measurement and analysis procedures. This has resulted in a rich collection of models and methods that can give very valuable insights into the factors that determine consumers' preference and choices. In this paper a review of this methodology is presented. First the theoretical roots of multidimensional preference models in economics and social psychology are briefly reviewed. Then a taxonomy of preference models is given. The main purpose of the paper is to put the various models and methods into a common reference frame, clarifying their possibilities and limitations and in this way to provide support to the researcher who has to choose his preference analysis strategy.