index

ryan oprea

professor of economics,

uc santa barbara

I am the Maxwell C. and Mary Pellish Chair of Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I study how complexity and cognitive limitations influence human behavior and institutions.

You can find my curriculum vita here. Here is a recent handbook chapter that includes an overview of some of my recent research on complexity.

department of economics

uc santa barbara

3028 north hall

santa barbara, ca 93106-9210

tel: 831-331-0740

fax: 805-893-8830

email: roprea@gmail.com

classes and teaching

Economics 278: The experimental economics sequence in the UCSB economics Ph.D. program. [site]

Economics 176: An introduction to the use of laboratory methods in economics for undergraduates.

Economics 1: An introduction to microeconomics for undergraduates.

editorial and service

Associate Editor, Review of Economics and Statistics, 2021-

Associate Editor, American Economic Review, 2019-

Associate Editor, Experimental Economics, 2017-

Executive Committee, Sage Center for the Study of the Mind, 2016-

Associate Editor, Games and Economic Behavior, 2018-2022

Executive Committee, Economic Science Association, 2018-2021

working papers

Oprea, R. "Complexity and Its Measurement," prepared for the Handbook of Experimental Methods in the Social Sciences [pdf]

Enke, B., Graeber, T. and Oprea, R. "Complexity and Time," forthcoming at the Journal of the European Economic Association [pdf]

Guan, M. and Oprea, R. "Three Faces of Complexity in Strategic Choice," revising for Econometrica [pdf]

deClippel, G., Oprea, R. and Rozen, K. "As If," [pdf]

Oprea, R. and Vieider, F., Minding the Gap: On the Origins of Probability Weighting and the Description-Experience Gap," [pdf]

Bouchouicha, R., Oprea, R., Vieider, F. and Wu, J. "Is Prospect Theory Really a Theory of Choice?" [pdf]

Oprea, R. and Robalino, N. "Are Humans More Averse to Aggregate Risk? Testing an Evolutionary Economic Theory," [pdf]

Enke, B., Graeber, T., Oprea, R., Yang, J. "Behavioral Attenuation," [pdf]

Guan, M., Oprea, R. and Yuksel, S. "Too Much Information," [soon]

Magnani, J. and Oprea, R. "On the Cognitive Foundations of Trade," [soon]

complexity / cognitive

Oprea, R. "Decisions Under Risk are Decisions Under Complexity," American Economic Review, 2024, 114: 12, 3789-3811. Lead article. [pdf] (previously circulated as "Simplicity Equivalents")

Initial Reply to Banki et. al. (2025)'s comment [pdf]

Kendall, C. and Oprea, R. "On the Complexity of Forming Mental Models," Quantitative Economics, 2024, 15: 175-211. [pdf]

Esponda, I., Oprea, R. and Yuksel, S. "Seeing What is Representative," Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2023 [pdf] (previously circulated as "Contrast-Biased Evaluation" and "Discrimination Without Reason: Biases in Statistical Discrimination")

Enke, B., Graeber, T. and Oprea, R. "Confidence, Self-selection and Bias in the Aggregate.," American Economic Review, 2023, 113:7, 1933-1966. [pdf]

Banovetz, J. and Oprea, R. "Complexity and Procedural Choice," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 2023, 15:2, 384-413. [pdf]

Oprea, R. What Makes a Rule Complex?” American Economic Review, 2020, 110:12, 3913-3951. 2021 Exeter Prize for the best paper published in Experimental Economics, Behavioral Economics and Decision Theory. [pdf]

continuous time behavior

Calford, E. and Oprea, R. “Continuity, Inertia and Strategic Uncertainty: A Test of the Theory of Continuous Time Games,” Econometrica, 2017, 85(3): 915-935. [pdf]

Oprea, R. Survival Versus Profit Maximization in a Dynamic Stochastic Experiment,” Econometrica, 2014, 82(6): 2225-2255. [pdf]

Oprea, R., Charness, G. and Friedman, D. “Continuous Time and Communication in a Public-goods Experiment,” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2014, 108: 212-223. [pdf]

Magnani, J., Gorry, A. and Oprea, R. “Time and State Dependence in an Ss Decision Experiment,,” American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 2016, 8(1): 285-310. [pdf]

Friedman, D. and Oprea, R. “A Continuous Dilemma,” American Economic Review, 2012, 102:1, 337-363. 2013 Exeter Prize for the best paper published in Experimental Economics, Behavioral Economics and Decision Theory. [pdf]

Oprea, R., Henwood, K. and Friedman, D. “Separating the Hawks from the Doves: Evidence from Continuous Time Laboratory Games,” with Keith Henwood and Daniel Friedman. Journal of Economic Theory , 2011, 146:6, 2206-2225. [pdf]

Anderson, S., Friedman, D. and Oprea, R. “Preemption Games: Theory and Experiment,” American Economic Review, 2010, 100:4, 1778-1803. [pdf]

Oprea, R., Friedman, D., Anderson, S. “Learning to Wait: A Laboratory Investigation,” Review of Economic Studies, 2009,76:3, 1103-1124.[pdf]

market behavior

Crockett, S., Friedman, D. and Oprea R. "Naturally Occurring Preferences and General Equilibrium: A Laboratory Experiment." International Economic Review, 2021 62(2): 831-859 [pdf]

Crockett, S., Oprea, R., Plott, C. “Extreme Walrasian Dynamics: The Gale Example in the Lab,” American Economic Review, 2011, 101:7, 3196-3220. [pdf]

Kendall, C. and Oprea, R. “Are Biased Beliefs Fit to Survive? An Experimental Test of the Market Selection Hypothesis," Journal of Economic Theory, 2018, 176: 342-371. [pdf]

Hanson, R. and Oprea, R. “A Manipulator Can Aid Prediction Market Accuracy,” Economica, 2009, 76, 304-314. [pdf]

Hanson, R., Oprea, R. and Porter, D. “Information Aggregation and Manipulation in an Experimental Market,” with Robin Hanson and David Porter. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2006, 60:1, 449-459. [pdf]

other research

Backhaus, T., Huck, S., Leutgeb, J. and Oprea, R. "Learning through Period and Physical Time,"Games and Economic Behavior , 2023, 141: 21-29. [pdf]

Oprea, R., Yuksel, S. "Social Exchange of Motivated Beliefs," Journal of the European Economic Association, 2021, 20(2): 667-699. [pdf]

Charness, G., Oprea, R., Yuksel, S. "How Do People Choose Between Biased Information Sources? Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment," Journal of the European Economic Association, 2021, 19(3). [pdf]

Huck, S., Leutgeb, J. and Oprea, R. "Payoff Information Hampers the Evolution of Cooperation," Nature Communications, May 2017 [pdf]

Friedman, D., Huck, S., Oprea, R. and Weidenholzer, S. “From Imitation to Collusion: Long-run Learning in a Low-Information Environment,” Journal of Economic Theory, 2015, 155: 185-205. [pdf]

Pettit, J., Kephart, C., Friedman, D. and Oprea, R.“Software for Continuous Game Experiments,” Experimental Economics, 2014, 17:631-648. [pdf]

Oprea, R., Wilson, B. and Zillante, A. “War of Attrition: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment on Market Exit,” Economic Inquiry, 2013, 41:4 2018-2027. [pdf]

Oprea, R. “Free Cash Flow and Takeover Threats: An Experimental Study,” Southern Economic Journal , 2008, 75:2, 351-366. [pdf]

Amaldoss, W., Ho, Teck-Hua, Krishna, A., Chen, K.Y., Desai, P., Iyer, G., Jain, S., Lim, N., Morgan, J., Srivasatava, J. “Experiments on Strategic Choices and Markets,” Marketing Letters, 2008, 19:13, 417-429. [pdf]

Oprea, R., Smith, V.L., Winn, A. “A Compensation Election for Binary Social Choice,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007, 104:3, 1093-1096. [pdf]

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