A linear programming approach for learning non-monotonic additive value functions in multiple criteria decision aiding

A new framework for preference disaggregation in multiple criteria decision aiding is introduced. The proposed approach aims to infer non-monotonic additive preference models from a set of indirect pair wise comparisons. The preference model is presented as a set of marginal value functions and the discriminatory power of the inferred preference model is maximized against its complexity. To infer a value function that is compatible with the supplied preference information, the proposed methodology leads to a linear programming optimization problem that is easy to solve. The applicability and effectiveness of the new methodology is demonstrated in a thorough experimental analysis covering a broad range of decision problems. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.