The structure of SSB utilities for decision under uncertainty (Q1104216)

The structure of an SSB (skew-symmetric, bilinear) utility functional, meant as a representation of preferences in lottery-acts-based formulations of decision-making under uncertainty, is discussed. A new, more revealing and mathematically elegant approach proposed overcomes some limitations of earlier approaches. Basically, it represents the SSB utility functional as a sum of some bilinear and biadditive terms. Their properties and special cases are considered, and also what happens if the base fixed lottery is changed.