Todd,P.M.
Billari,F.C.
Simao,J.

The distribution of age at first marriage shows well-known strong regularities across many countries and recent historical periods. We accounted for these patterns by developing agent-based models that simulate the aggregate behavior of individuals who are searching for marriage partners. Past models assumed fully rational agents with complete knowledge of the marriage market; our simulated agents used psychologically plausible simple heuristic mate search rules that adjust aspiration levels on the basis of a sequence of encounters with potential partners. Substantial individual variation must be included in the models to account for the demographically observed age-at-marriage patterns.

Todd, P. M., Billari, F. C., & Simao, J. (2005). Aggregate age-at-marriage patterns from individual mate-search heuristics. Demography, 42, 559-574.(Reprinted in Heuristics: The foundations of adaptive behavior, pp. 747-759, by G. Gigerenzer, R. Hertwig, & T. Pachur, Eds., 2011, New York: Oxford University Press)

Publication year	2005
Document type:	Article
Publication status:	Published
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Keywords:	heuristicsmarriagematingsequential searchsimulations