Behavioral Biases in Investors' Decision: Studies Review from 2006-2015

Abstract

The present study presents a survey of researches that, through the employment of theoretical precepts, laboratory tests or empiric studies, in the period from 2006 to 2015, related themselves to the examination of anomalies' incidences or irrational effects which affect people's choices on investment decisions. Despite the temporal delimitation, it was set about the seminal study of Kahneman and Tversky, published in 1979, which brings considerations about Perspective Theory, in opposite to Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). The used methodology is exploratory and bibliographic, employing a sample composed by international journals of Finances area, besides journals in Accounting and Management in Brazil. A subdivision in the format of findings presentation was carried out, separating those which treat theoretical precepts and laboratory tests, nevertheless linked to possible practical effects - depicted as studies of behavioral incidences, evidences and tendencies - from those which seek empirical evidences greatly related to market operations, identified as studies of behavioral precepts applied to market. In conclusion, it was possible to identify that international researches are more focused on the understanding of behavioral phenomena and their impacts in stock market, while Brazilian studies concentrate on replications of seminal study or identification of biases and specific samples, presenting low possibilities for results' generalization. This occurs due to the lack of deepening and narrow scope of the investigations. Therefore, it's open a great variety of possibilities for studies, notably in fields such as domestic finances, behavioral effects among Latin American countries, standardization of behavior inside organizations, correlation among several biases, identification of other behavioral effects which interfere financial and economic scenery, mainly if the researches involve real market data.