AIM Weights (wA, wI, wM)

Canonical definition

AIM Weights (wA, wI, wM) are normalised coefficients representing the proportional influence of each source (Appetites, Intrinsic Motivation, and Mimetic Desire) on an episode’s integrated value at the time of decision, treated as state-dependent latent variables rather than fixed traits. Three clarifications fix the term's reach. First, the weights are momentary; an Individual described as high-wM is one whose time-averaged wM is high (the AIM Profile sense), and a group, system, or economy described as high-wM is one whose members' mean wM is high. The trait and aggregate senses are time- and population-averages of the same quantity, not separate constructs. Second, the Mimetic Premium an Object carries for an observer is the M term of the AIM Integration Equation: PM = wM · UM(x). The weight is the gain on the M channel; the Premium is what that gain contributes to the integrated valuation of a given Object. Third, wM is the quantity Appendix A denotes β (the two symbols are aliases for the same parameter), and it is distinct from the Price Share sM = PM/P_total, the M-fraction of a transaction price: the weight lives on the Decision Hub and sums to 1 with wA and wI, the share lives on the transaction and sums to 1 with sA and sI, and the two coincide only where the Object's source-specific utilities are equal. Adjectives attached to prices, markups, market bands, and tax bases take the share; adjectives attached to Individuals, groups, and systems take the weight.