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A Conceptual Model of Investor Behavior

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  • Lovric, M.
  • Kaymak, U.
  • Spronk, J.

Abstract

Based on a survey of behavioral finance literature, this paper presents a descriptive model of individual investor behavior in which investment decisions are seen as an iterative process of interactions between the investor and the investment environment. This investment process is influenced by a number of interdependent variables and driven by dual mental systems, the interplay of which contributes to boundedly rational behavior where investors use various heuristics and may exhibit behavioral biases. In the modeling tradition of cognitive science and intelligent systems, the investor is seen as a learning, adapting, and evolving entity that perceives the environment, processes information, acts upon it, and updates his or her internal states. This conceptual model can be used to build stylized representations of (classes of) individual investors, and further studied using the paradigm of agent-based artificial financial markets. By allowing us to implement individual investor behavior, to choose various market mechanisms, and to analyze the obtained asset prices, agent-based models can bridge the gap between the micro level of individual investor behavior and the macro level of aggregate market phenomena. It has been recognized, yet not fully explored, that these models could be used as a tool to generate or test various behavioral hypothesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Lovric, M. & Kaymak, U. & Spronk, J., 2008. "A Conceptual Model of Investor Behavior," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2008-030-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    • Handle: RePEc:ems:eureri:12468
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    Cited by:

    1. Ionela Ancuța IANCU, 2015. "Investing Strategies Of Romanian Retail Investors Before And During Crisis (2006-2009)," SEA - Practical Application of Science, Romanian Foundation for Business Intelligence, Editorial Department, issue 9, pages 23-28, December.
    2. Arpan Jani, 2021. "An agent-based model of repeated decision making under risk: modeling the role of alternate reference points and risk behavior on long-run outcomes," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 91(9), pages 1271-1297, November.
    3. Amadin Victor Idehen, 2021. "Capital investment decisions of small and medium enterprises in Benin-City, Nigeria," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 10(3), pages 101-108, April.
    4. Victor Dragotă & Camelia Delcea, 2019. "How Long Does It Last to Systematically Make Bad Decisions? An Agent-Based Application for Dividend Policy," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-34, November.
    5. Egidijus Bikas & Vitalija Saponaitė, 2018. "Behavior of the Lithuanian investors at the period of economic growth," Post-Print hal-02121012, HAL.
    6. Pascual-Ezama, David & Paredes, Mercedes Rodríguez & Sanchez-Martín, María-del-Pilar & de Liaño, Beatriz Gil-Gómez, 2018. "Shorter and easier is more useful: A longitudinal analysis of how financial report enforcement affects individual investors," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 29-37.
    7. Syed Aliya Zahera & Rohit Bansal, 2018. "Do investors exhibit behavioral biases in investment decision making? A systematic review," Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 10(2), pages 210-251, May.
    8. Egidijus Bikas & Vitalija Saponaitė, 2018. "Behavior of the Lithuanian investors at the period of economic growth," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 6(1), pages 44-59, September.
    9. Lect. Aurora Murgea Ph. D, 2010. "Classical Lassical And Behavioural Finance In Investor Decision," Annals of University of Craiova - Economic Sciences Series, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 2(38), pages 1-12, May.
    10. Yun Wang & Renhai Hua & Zongcheng Zhang, 2011. "The investor behavior and futures market volatility," China Finance Review International, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(4), pages 388-407, September.
    11. Victor DRAGOTĂ, 2016. "When Making Bad Decisions Becomes Habit: Modelling The Duration Of Making Systematically Bad Decisions," ECONOMIC COMPUTATION AND ECONOMIC CYBERNETICS STUDIES AND RESEARCH, Faculty of Economic Cybernetics, Statistics and Informatics, vol. 50(1), pages 123-140.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    agent-based artificial financial markets; behavioral finance; cognitive modeling; financial decision making; investor behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • G39 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Other
    • M - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics

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