Strategyproof Mean Estimation from Multiple-Choice Questions

  • Anson Kahng
  • , Gregory Kehne
  • , Ariel D. Procaccia

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Given n values possessed by n agents, we study the problem of estimating the mean by truthfully eliciting agents' answers to multiple-choice questions about their values. We consider two natural candidates for estimation error: mean squared error (MSE) and mean absolute error (MAE). We design a randomized estimator which is asymptotically optimal for both measures in the worst case. In the case where prior distributions over the agents' values are known, we give an optimal, polynomial-Time algorithm for MSE, and show that the task of computing an optimal estimate for MAE is P-hard. Finally, we demonstrate empirically that knowledge of prior distributions gives a significant edge.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication37th International Conference on Machine Learning, ICML 2020
EditorsHal Daume, Aarti Singh
PublisherInternational Machine Learning Society (IMLS)
Pages5009-5019
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9781713821120
StatePublished - 2020
Event37th International Conference on Machine Learning, ICML 2020 - Virtual, Online
Duration: Jul 13 2020Jul 18 2020

Publication series

Name37th International Conference on Machine Learning, ICML 2020
VolumePartF168147-7

Conference

Conference37th International Conference on Machine Learning, ICML 2020
CityVirtual, Online
Period07/13/2007/18/20

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