DECISION-MAKING BEHAVIOR OF ACCOUNTANTS UNDER THE PROSPECT THEORY PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21680/2176-9036.2017v9n2ID11128Keywords:
Certainty. Reflection. Isolation.Abstract
The aim of this research is to analyze the behavioral finances key elements using the Prospect Theory, developed by Kahneman and Tversky (1979) in order to identify if the accountants present the certainty, reflection and isolation effects. For this study of a descriptive nature, a questionnaire of 15 closed questions was applied, where participants should make decisions on the given prospects. The data collection tool was sent to 250 accounting, administration and economy professionals. There were 145 survey respondents, being 65% of them accountants. Through the descriptive statistics and the Chi-square independence test, the study revealed that gender and educational background have influence over the prospect frequency, where in certain cases, women and accountants were more risk averse. Moreover, it showed that this Brazilian sample presents the bias certainty, reflection and isolation found in the original Kahneman and Tversky sample, which enhances the evidences that the behavioral aspects can influence the individuals’ choice.
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