A New Interpretation of Alternative Pairwise. Comparisons for a Generalization of SMART

A new mathematical interpretation of alternative pairwise comparisons for a recently developed model of single-stage multiattribute decisionmaking and trade-off weight determination under uncertainty is presented. This model includes the following key features: 1) parameter values, i.e., lowest level attribute utility scores and trade-off weights, are described by set membership, and 2) use is made of directly expressed preferences among pairs of alternatives. The original mathematical interpretation of pairwise comparisons produced the following undesirable result: more precise lowest level attribute utility scores produce a more imprecise description of the trade-off weights. The new more conservative interpretation guarantees that more precise lowest level attribute utility scores will not increase the imprecision of the trade-off weights.