This study empirically investigates whether state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs)— DeepSeek-V3, Mistral Small 3, Llama 4 Maverick, Gemini 2.0 Flash-001, and GPT-4o—exhibit human-like behavioral biases in economic decision-making, and explo...
This study empirically investigates whether state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs)— DeepSeek-V3, Mistral Small 3, Llama 4 Maverick, Gemini 2.0 Flash-001, and GPT-4o—exhibit human-like behavioral biases in economic decision-making, and explores the underlying reasoning behind their choices. To this end, we designed a series of multiple price list (MPL, Kahneman & Tversky,1992) tasks encompassing gain, loss, and mixed domains to estimate certainty equivalents (CEs), while also collecting detailed explanatory responses for each decision made by the models. Quantitative analyses revealed that the LLMs generally exhibited risk-averse behavior in the gain domain, producing CEs lower than the expected value (EV). However, the extent of this risk aversion varied depending on the probability-reward structure of each question. In the loss domain, some models displayed risk-seeking tendencies under high-probability loss conditions, whereas most exhibited strong risk aversion in response to low-probability, high-magnitude losses. In the mixed domain, many models demonstrated loss-averse behavior, with certain models generating exceptionally high CEs, suggesting strong loss aversion coefficients. Moreover, consistent response patterns without any switching point within the experimental range implied either highly polarized preferences or value judgments extending beyond the presented decision bounds. Qualitative analyses indicated that the LLMs employed a range of reasoning strategies, including EV calculations, consideration of certainty and risk, and explicit references to loss aversion theory. Differences were observed across models in terms of explanation structure, logical coherence, and use of economic terminology. Some responses exhibited inconsistencies between choices and justifications or revealed superficial conceptual understanding. These findings highlight the dual nature of LLMs—as potential decision-making agents capable of contextual reasoning and explanation generation, yet also bounded by their representational and inferential limitations. The results carry meaningful implications for the development of AI-driven experimental methodologies in behavioral economics, the design of LLM-integrated decision systems, and the broader discourse on bias in artificial intelligence.
Keyword: Large Language Models (LLMs), Behavioral Economics, Decision-Making, Risk Preferences, Loss Aversion, Explainability