Question 1

In the story of the Man in the Green Bathrobe, there is one particular feature of Prospect Theory that this gambler apparently violates. Which feature?

1 point

Risk aversion over gains

Risk seeking over losses

Loss aversion

2.

Question 2

Many consumers shrink from buying either the highest- or lowest-priced item among a group of similar items, seeming to prefer something in between. For example, retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc. was able to increase sales of its $275 bread machine by adding a second, slightly larger model to its catalogue at a price of just over $400. And Xerox Corp. at one time boosted sales of its high-volume copier to large corporations by introducing a higher-priced model with a few extra bells and whistles. Which one of the following biases best explains this effect?

1 point

House Money Effect

Framing

Status Quo Bias

Anchoring

Availability Heuristic

Disposition Effect

3.

Question 3

When we purchase essential insurance (e.g., health insurance), we are often offered a range of "deductibles," the pre-specified amount that we must pay on a claim before the insurance company will pay the balance. Assuming that the deductibles themselves are for dollar amounts that we could afford without significant financial hardship, which deductible should we select?

1 point

Always select the policy with the lowest deductible

It depends on a number of factors; cannot say for sure

Always select the policy with the highest deductible

4.

Question 4

In the material on Framing, you were invited to respond to two lotteries. They are replicated here.

Which of the following biases and errors could explain why some respondents to these two lotteries may apparently "flip their preferences"? Please select all that apply.

1 point

Loss Aversion

Risk aversion over gains

Endowment Effect

Mental Accounting

Risk seeking over losses

5.

Question 5

Oriental rug salesmen often start a negotiation by mentioning a ridiculously high price for an item in which you've expressed interest. Similarly, posted full fares on airlines tend to be significantly higher than the price that the average economy-class passenger typically pays. Which of the following biases best explains why these merchants quote a starting price far higher than the ultimate transaction price?

1 point

Anchoring

Money Illusion

Endowment Effect

House Money Effect

Base Rates

6.

Question 6

There is lots of evidence to suggest that we are inclined to treat "money won" differently from "money earned." Which of the following biases is best able to explain this phenomenon, which often results in our being more willing to gamble with money that we have won, rather than earned?

1 point

Endowment Effect

Disposition Effect

Loss Aversion

Mental Accounting

Risk Seeking over Losses

7.

Question 7

The following experiment was carried out with undergraduates at Duke University. The researchers divided participants into two groups. One group was asked to state the highest price they would pay for a ticket to the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament, a highly prized item on campus. The other group was told to imagine they had such a ticket and was asked for the lowest price at which they would be willing to sell it. The median selling price was $1,500; the median buying price was $150. Which of the following bias(es) might explain why the buying and selling prices were so different? Please select all that apply.

1 point

Disposition Effect

Regret Theory

Loss Aversion

Endowment Effect

8.

Question 8

Prior to the US housing market crash in 2007, which ONE of the following errors best explains the market's reluctance to believe that there could be a country-wide drop in US prices?

1 point

Sample size neglect

Non-regressive prediction

Gambler's fallacy

Conservatism

9.

Question 9

When the iPod shuffle first came out, there were rumors that the order of the songs wasn't really random. The following are quotes on an Apple discussion board about the shuffle feature:

"Can some one please explain why on my...iPod songs repeat while on shuffle?"

"...that happens to me too. some songs keep getting played, and some I hardly ever hear. It seems the iPod is biased..."

The iPod is not biased - the customers are! Which bias are these customers suffering from?

1 point

Non-regressive prediction

Conservatism

Sample size neglect

Gambler's fallacy

10.

Question 10

Review the characteristics of four different types of financial market traders. Think about to which biases these traders may be most susceptible.

1. The Headliner This investor can't resist a good story. He hears everyone talking about a hot new tech stock or an exciting start-up, and he rushes to buy shares often at the expense of careful review.

2. The Talent Scout He believes he has discovered a miracle product, and wants to jump on its manufacturer's stock before the gizmo becomes a retail sensation.

3. The System Player This trader develops complex formulas that he relies on when evaluating stocks.

4. The Loyalist This investor invests heavily in the stock of the company that he works for, at the expense of creating a well diversified portfolio.

Only one of these Traders suffers from Sample Size Neglect. Which one?

1 point

The Talent Scout

The Loyalist

The Headliner

The System Player

11.

Question 11

Review the characteristics of four different types of financial market traders. Think about to which biases these traders may be most susceptible.

1. The Headliner This investor can't resist a good story. He hears everyone talking about a hot new tech stock or an exciting start-up, and he rushes to buy shares often at the expense of careful review.

2. The Talent Scout He believes he has discovered a miracle product, and wants to jump on its manufacturer's stock before the gizmo becomes a retail sensation.

3. The System Player This trader develops complex formulas that he relies on when evaluating stocks.

4. The Loyalist This investor invests heavily in the stock of the company that he works for, at the expense of creating a well diversified portfolio.

Which two suffer from Illusion of Control?

1 point

The Headliner

The Loyalist

The Talent Scout

The System Player

12.

Question 12

Review the characteristics of four different types of financial market traders. Think about to which biases these traders may be most susceptible.

1. The Headliner This investor can't resist a good story. He hears everyone talking about a hot new tech stock or an exciting start-up, and he rushes to buy shares often at the expense of careful review.

2. The Talent Scout He believes he has discovered a miracle product, and wants to jump on its manufacturer's stock before the gizmo becomes a retail sensation.

3. The System Player This trader develops complex formulas that he relies on when evaluating stocks.

4. The Loyalist This investor invests heavily in the stock of the company that he works for, at the expense of creating a well diversified portfolio.

Which three are most likely to suffer from the Availability heuristic?

1 point

The Headliner

The System Player

The Loyalist

The Talent Scout

13.

Question 13

Art galleries sometimes encourage customers to take paintings home and try them out for a while, offering to give a full refund if the customer subsequently wishes to return them. The stores are obviously counting on most customers holding onto the piece of art. Which bias best explains why, even if we were uncertain about the item when we saw it in the gallery, we are much more likely to keep it once we've displayed it at home?

1 point

House Money Effect

Mental Accounting

Loss Aversion

Disposition Effect

Availability Heuristic

Anchoring

Endowment Effect

14.

Question 14

In Greek mythology, the hero Ulysses was returning from the Trojan wars, on a route that would take his ship close to the Sirenusian islands. The Sirens on these islands were known to sing irresistably seductive songs, so that passing seamen felt impelled to steer their ships onto the rocky coast, with shipwreck the inevitable outcome. Mythology has it that no one had ever lived to tell others about the songs. Ulysses devised the following strategy: he told his crewmen to fill their ears with beeswax to block out the singing, to tie Ulysses himself securely to the mast, and not release him under any circumstances. Thus, Ulysses heard the Sirens' songs, the crewmen ignored his entreaties to be untied and, once they were out of range of the island, his men removed their earplugs and released him.

In modern times, a "Ulysses Pact" is a term for a type of commitment that we might make in advance, in recognition that we may have an irrational (and predictable) desire to behave in a destructive fashion at some point in the future. In recognizing that a Ulysses Pact arranged now might prevent us from negative behavior later, we are implicitly acknowledging that we may be susceptible to certain biases. In anticipation of which of the following bias(es) might we willingly enter into a Ulysses Pact? Select all that apply.

1 point

Gambler's fallacy

Belief Perseverance

Preference Reversals

Loss Aversion

Omission Bias