An examination of performance relations among selected consistency measures for simulated pairwise judgments

Abstract

A review of contemporary literature devoted to decision making support systems draws attention to the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). At the core of the AHP are various prioritization procedures which elicit priorities for alternative solutions for complex decisional problems. Certainly, the procedures coincide when decision makers’ preferences of alternative solutions are cardinally transitive, otherwise the results differ. This is why consistency measurement of human judgments is so important. It has been scientifically proven that a high inconsistency of decision makers’ preferences concerning alternative solutions of decisional problems may lead to fallacious choices. Research verifies the thesis that consistency measures derived from different prioritization procedures are interrelated. It turns out that one of the independent consistency measures is extremely closely related to the consistency index embedded in original approach of the AHP. The main objective of this study is realized through the novel and sophisticated simulation algorithm designed for the AHP and executed within its exemplary decisional framework for three levels. The outcome of the research proves that consistency can be measured in various ways, but recently devised concepts can indicate better solutions as a result of significantly improved methodology.