A STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE AREA AND THE DEGREE OF EDUCATION IN LOSS AVERSION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4270/ruc.2023127Keywords:
Loss aversion, Knowledge area, Academic education levelAbstract
This research aims to investigate the association between loss aversion behavior and the field of knowledge and academic education level of students from the Federal Institutions of Higher Education (IFES) in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. A survey was conducted, applying a structured questionnaire divided into two parts: the first consisted of ten questions adapted from the study by Kahneman and Tversky (1979); the second comprised six questions about the participants' profiles. The data collection instrument was hosted on Google Forms and sent to undergraduate and graduate students from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and the Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region (UFERSA), considering the nine major fields of knowledge classified by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), resulting in a final sample of 3,864 respondents. As an analysis technique, descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were used. The results suggest that, as evidenced in Kahneman and Tversky’s (1979) research, the sample is significantly more risk-averse for gains and more risk-seeking for losses, indicating the presence of loss aversion. Regarding the influence of the field of knowledge, statistical significance was found, indicating that individuals from the fields of Biological Sciences (CB), Human Sciences (CH), and Linguistics, Literature, and Arts (LLA) showed lower vulnerability to this cognitive illusion. Concerning the academic education level, no association with loss aversion was observed.
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