On Generalized Secretary Problems
نویسندگان
چکیده
This paper is composed of two related parts. In the first, we present a dynamic programming procedure for finding optimal policies for a class of sequential search problems that includes the well-known “secretary problem.” In the second, we propose a stochastic model of choice behavior for this class of problems and test the model with two extant data sets. We conclude that the previously reported bias for decision makers to terminate their search too early can, in part, be accounted for by a stochastic component of their search policies.
منابع مشابه
Online optimization in the random-order model
In an online problem, information is revealed incrementally and decisions have to be made before the full information is known. This occurs in various applications like, for example, resource allocation or online ad assignment. To analyze the performance of algorithms for online problems, it is classically assumed that there is a malicious adversary who always provides the worst-possible input....
متن کاملRevealing Optimal Thresholds for Generalized Secretary Problem via Continuous LP: Impacts on Online K-Item Auction and Bipartite K-Matching with Random Arrival Order
We consider the general (J,K)-secretary problem, where n totally ordered items arrive in a random order. An algorithm observes the relative merits of arriving items and is allowed to make J selections. The objective is to maximize the expected number of items selected among the K best items. Buchbinder, Jain and Singh proposed a finite linear program (LP) that completely characterizes the probl...
متن کاملSecretary problems: weights and discounts
The classical secretary problem studies the problem of selecting online an element (a “secretary”) with maximum value in a randomly ordered sequence. The difficulty lies in the fact that an element must be either selected or discarded upon its arrival, and this decision is irrevocable. Constant-competitive algorithms are known for the classical secretary problems (see, e.g., the survey of Freem...
متن کاملA Framework for the Secretary Problem on the Intersection of Matroids
The secretary problem became one of the most prominent online selection problems due to its numerous applications in online mechanism design. The task is to select a maximumweight subset of elements subject to given constraints, where elements arrive one-by-one in random order, revealing a weight upon arrival. The decision whether to select an element has to be taken immediately after its arriv...
متن کاملDynamic Threshold Strategy for Universal Best Choice Problem
The secretary problem is one of the most commonly known best-choice problems. It models a situation of n candidates applying for a single secretary position. The candidates are interviewed in a random order. After each interview an irrevocable decision to accept or reject the current candidate is made. Once a candidate is accepted, no more interviews are arranged. All candidates are linearly or...
متن کامل