We experimentally test overconfidence in investment decisions by offering participants the possibility to substitute their own for alternative investment choices.Overall, 149 subjects participated in two experiments, one with just one risky asset, the other with two risky assets. Overconfidence...

We investigate the intertemporal and interpersonal allocation behavior ofspouses with different deterministic life expectations in an experiment. In eachperiod of their life both partners propose a consumption level one of which isthen randomly implemented. In spite of the complex dynamics...

A vast literature shows that individuals frequently violate normative principles in reasoning. In evaluatingthe relevance of these findings for psychology, economics, and related disciplines, it is natural to askwhether reasoning errors reflect random aberrations or systematic biases. One...

The results of an asset market experiment, in which 64 subjects trade two assets oneight markets in a computerized continuous double auction, indicate that objectivelyirrelevant information influences trading behavior. Moreover, positively and negativelyframed information leads to a particular...

Dynamics of compliance, depending on audit probability, sanctions, and the time lagbetween audits, are investigated in a tax experiment. Compliance varied significantlyover time: it decreased immediately after an audit and increased afterwards, especially if audits were frequent and sanctions high.

A vast literature shows that individuals frequently fail to identify the normative solutionsin logical reasoning tasks. Much attention has been devoted to the study ofthese deviations at the individual level; less effort was exerted to investigate whetherinstitutional settings might facilitate...

An empirically well-established finding is that equity portfolios are concentratedin the domestic equity market of the investor. Previous theoreticaland empirical analyses have mainly focused on institutional explanations andlargely neglected individual behavior. In this study we report the...

In this paper we relate individual risk attitude as elicited by binary lotteriesand certainty equivalents to market behavior. By analyzing 26 independentmarkets with a total of 280 participants we show that binary lottery choicesand certainty equivalents are poorly correlated. Only lottery...

This paper investigates (i) the robustness of hindsight bias in experimental assetmarkets, (ii) the time invariance of the different experimental risk elicitationmethods of certainty equivalents and binary lottery choices, and (iii) their correspondence.The results of our within-subjects...

This paper focuses on egocentric biases in financial decisions. Subjects first designa portfolio, whereby each combination of assets yields the same expected returnand variance of returns. They are then confronted with two alternative portfolios;the average portfolio and the portfolio of one’s...