This thesis concerns the old age in the context of human life and the problems of senior discrimination. It's divided into two parts, theoretic and empiric. In theoretic part the old age and ageing are characterized, the aspects of old age are analysed and the role of gerontopedagogic is defined. With respect to demographic prospect, the gravity of senior discrimination is emphasized as an undesirable social-pathological phenomenon. In empiric part, the author tries to reveal on the basis of field research, whether today's seniors feel being discriminated. The extent of discrimination is being compared between the seniors living by them own in a big city (Prague) and smaller town (Vrchlabí). The work is focused on identification of circumstances, which can influence the senior discrimination, and tries to answer, which parts of social life are projected to the discrimination of old people. Key words: old age, ageing, aspects of ageing, senior, senior education, demographic prospect, ageism

The thesis presents a formal model of intertemporal decision problem of working on a task for distant reward which depends on the number of periods the subject actually spends working, where the subject faces varying opportunity costs of working each period before the deadline. Three psychologically plausible causes of procrastination are incorporated into the model as transformations of the decision problem. In order to assess a hypothesis that procrastination is an evolved and stable habit, the third transformation renders the model dynamic in that past decisions and circumstances affect the present. The model is first explored via qualitative analysis and simulations are performed to further reveal its functionality.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Na busca por entender de que forma profissionais de contabilidade estão analisando e repassando informações, o objetivo geral do trabalho é mostrar o processo de decisão em ambiente contábil sob a ótica da Teoria dos Prospectos, buscando demostrar que as decisões, são baseadas principalmente em julgamentos, contribuindo para consciência das imperfeições dos julgamentos e decisões. O objetivo específico é testar de que forma os efeitos Framing, e Certeza podem moldar uma tomada de decisão dentro do ambiente contábil. Sendo uma pesquisa descritiva, aplicou-se questionário estruturado e não disfarçado à profissionais da área de Contabilidade. O questionário foi dividido em dois tipos (I e II), dividindo assim o campo dos ganhos e das perdas. Procurou-se através da análise do resultado dos questionários evidenciar o impactos dos efeitos nesses profissionais. Dentre o resultado, pode-se constatar que de maneira geral as questões que envolvem certeza no campo dos ganhos são as mais procuradas entre os respondentes. É possível identificar a presença do Efeito Framing. Em relação ao gênero, é possível identificar maior impacto do Efeito Framing nos homens que nas mulheres. Os Efeitos Certeza e Pseudocerteza se fazem presentes em ambos os gêneros o que demostra certa cautela frente a tomada de decisão. Através desse estudo buscou-se auxiliar os decisores na tarefa de repensar seus atuais processos de tomada de decisão, por meio da conscientização de que são dotados de uma racionalidade limitada e que seus julgamentos são passivos de desvios. / In seeking to understand how accounting professionals are analyzing and transmitting information, the aim of this work is to show the decision-making in accounting environment from the perspective of Prospect Theory, seeking to demonstrate that decisions are based primarily on judgments, contributing to awareness of the imperfections of the judgments and decisions. The specific objective is to test how the effects Framing, and Certainty can shape decision-making within the accounting environment. As a descriptive study, we applied a structured questionnaire and did not disguise the accounting professionals. The questionnaire was divided into two types (I, II), thus dividing the field of gains and losses. Was sought by examining the results of the questionnaires show the impact of these effects professionals. Among the results, one can see that in general the issues involved in the field of sure gains are the most sought after among the respondents. You can identify the presence of Framing Effects. Regarding gender, it is possible to identify the greatest impact Framing Effect in men than in women. The Effect Certainty are present in both sexes which demonstrates caution before making a decision. Through this study we sought to assist decision makers in the task of rethinking their current decision-making processes, through the awareness that they are endowed with a bounded rationality and that their judgments are passive deflections.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka individers riskbeteende vid investeringar samt få en djupare förståelse för arbitrage och den osystematiska risken som är involverad när en individ utnyttjar arbitragemöjligheter. För att undersöka detta har en avgränsning gjorts till oddsmarknaden och riskfritt arbitrageutnyttjande i form av Surebets. Detta har undersökts med hjälp av kvalitativ- och kvantitativ metod i form av en triangulering. Genom en enkätundersökning och intervjuer kunde ett kausalt samband identifiera beteendesvängningar hos individer när det kommer till vinst och förlust. Ett Eta2-test genomfördes och påvisade ett samband mellan individers riskbenägenhet och kunskapen om Surebets. Studien fann flera osystematiska risker för användarna kopplat till Surebets varav den största är spelbolagen och dess användaravtal. Avslutningsvis kan nollhypotesen förkastas med hjälp av Eta2-testet samt ett kausalt samband, vilket bevisar ett högre risktagande bland individer som utnyttjar arbitrage på oddsmarknaden. / The purpose of this study is to investigate individuals' risk behavior during investments and to gain a deeper understanding of arbitrage and the unsystematic risk involved when an individual uses arbitrage opportunities. To investigate this a delimitation has been made to the odds market and the risk-free utilization of arbitrage in the form of Surebets. The method used to investigate this has been a qualitative and quantitative method in the form of a triangulation. Through a survey and interviews, a causal relationship could identify behavioral fluctuations in individuals when it comes to profit and loss cases. An Eta2 test was conducted and demonstrated a connection between individuals' risk behaviour and the knowledge of Surebets. The study found several unsystematic risks for users linked to Surebets, where the largest are the gaming companies and its user agreement. Finally, the null hypothesis can be rejected by means of the Eta2 test and a causal relationship, which proves a higher risk taking among individuals exploiting arbitrage opportunities on the odds market.

The sunk-cost fallacy (SCF) occurs when an individual makes an investment with a low probability of a payoff because an earlier investment has already been made. It is considered an error because a rational decision should not factor in now-irretrievable investments, as they do not affect current outcome likelihoods. Previous research has measured the tendency to commit the SCF by using hypothetical scenarios in which participants must choose to make a future investment or not after making an initial investment. There are many theories as to why people commit the SCF. Loss aversion, which is the preference for uncertain over certain losses, may be related to the SCF. Dual-process theory, which views decision-making in terms of a fast, automatic process called system 1 and a slow, deliberate process called system 2, may also help to explain the SCF. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to complete a sunk-cost questionnaire in which the initial-investment types and amounts varied. They also completed an endowment-effect task as a measure of loss aversion. The SCF was committed most often when the initial investment was large compared to small and most often with money, less with time, and least with effort. There was an interaction effect in which small differences were seen in the SCF between time, effort, and money when the initial investment was small, and differences grew larger as the initial investment increased. Loss aversion displayed a non-significant negative relation with the SCF. In Experiment 2, participants completed a sunk-cost questionnaire in which they were asked to respond as they normally would and then from the perspective of a fictional person described as a logical decision maker. In cases in which they committed the SCF, they were asked to indicate why they continued to invest. They also completed a risky-lottery loss-aversion task. As seen in Experiment 1, the SCF was more likely when initial investments were greater and occurred most when the initial investment was money, less when it was time, and least when it was effort. Loss aversion had a significant but small negative relation with SCF scores. There was no effect of perspective taking. It may be that the SCF is simply due to the over-application of the personal rule “don't waste”, as not wanting to be wasteful was the most-common reason participants gave for why they committed the SCF.

Why Do Borrowers Choose Arms Over FRMS? : A Behavioral Investigation in the U.S. and Japan by Masaki Mori In the U.S., a considerable number of borrowers still choose adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) over fixed rate mortgages (FRMs), even with historically low interest rates. During 2004-2005, when interest rates remained at 30-year lows, ARMs accounted for approximately one-third of all mortgage originations. Kahneman and Tversky's Prospect Theory’s reflection hypothesis suggested that people tend to be more risk-averse in positive decision situations, while they tend to be more risk-seeking when making negative choices. The first purpose of this study is to examine descriptive reasons for the popularity of ARMs in the U.S. People of different cultures often evaluate uncertain events in different ways. Hofstede developed a cultural dimension, uncertainty avoidance (UA), where UA is defined as the extent to which people feel threatened by uncertain situations. The second purpose of this study is to test the role of UA on the choice of mortgage products using data from two cultures (U.S. and Japan), potentially differing in attitude toward uncertain situations. Controlled experiments were conducted using 92 U.S. participants and 49 Japanese participants. Results of analysis supported Prospect Theory’s reflection hypothesis, suggesting that risk-averse people tend to become more risk-seeking when choosing a mortgage type, leaning more toward ARMs when people frame the mortgage choice problem as part of a loss situation. The results of the intercultural comparison portion of the study supported the research hypothesis that UA works as a moderating variable for Prospect Theory’s reflection hypothesis, suggesting that risk-averse people with lower UA scores more dramatically change from a risk-averse preference for a fixed-rate bond to a more risk-seeking preference for an adjustable-rate mortgage, than risk-averse people with higher UA scores do. Overall, results of this study suggested that borrowers behave differently depending on their propensity for current consumption, the level of UA, and how they frame the mortgage choice decision. This study contributes to existing mortgage choice literature by incorporating psychological and cultural traits to examine borrowers’ attitudes towards interest rate risk with regard to residential mortgages. The findings are of great importance globally for governments and lenders in creating and introducing new mortgage products in countries with diverse cultures.

In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey made the first systematic assessment of the in-place natural gas hydrate resources of the United States. That study suggested that the amount of gas in the gas hydrate accumulations of northern Alaska probably exceeds the volume of known conventional gas resources on the North Slope. Researchers have long speculated that gas hydrates could eventually be a commercial resource yet technical and economic hurdles have historically made gas hydrate development a distant goal rather than a near-term possibility. This view began to change over the past five years with the realization that this unconventional resource could be developed in conjunction with conventional gas fields. The most significant development was gas hydrate production testing conducted at the Mallik site in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta in 2002. The Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well Program yielded the first modern, fully integrated field study and production test of a natural gas hydrate accumulation. More recently, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. with the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Geological Survey have successfully cored, logged, and tested a gas hydrate accumulation on the North Slope of Alaska know as the Mount Elbert Prospect. The Mallik 2002 project along with the Mount Elbert effort has for the first time allowed the rational assessment of the production response of a gas hydrate accumulation.

Hedonic Editing is a theory of behavioral finance based on prospect theory, attempting to predict whether individuals would segregate or integrate multiple outcomes to achieve to highest perceived value. We test the theory by an actual market data in Taiwan Futures Exchange. If the hypothesis holds, we should observe that investors would integrate losses more frequently than gains and integrate smaller losses with larger gains rather than the other way around. However, results do not support the hypotheses totally. We further test the theory by different trader types. Results show that domestic individuals exhibit the strongest biases of hedonic editing, followed by domestic corporations, and foreign institutions.

Orientador: Silvia Regina Ricco Lucato Sigolo / Banca: Maria Regina Guarnieri / Banca: Márcia Cristina Argenti Perez / Resumo: Partindo da aprovação da Lei nº 11.114, sancionada em 16/05/2005 - que estabeleceu que crianças de seis anos fossem então matriculadas no ensino fundamental e da Lei nº 11.274, sancionada em 06/02/2006 que amplia a duração do ensino fundamental para nove anos - e considerando que família e escola são os contextos mais relevantes da vida de uma criança - esse trabalho teve por objetivo constatar como se configura o 1º ano do ensino fundamental de nove anos e como os principais envolvidos - crianças, pais e professoras percebem este processo. O estudo, de caráter qualitativo, se fundamenta na abordagem bioecológica de desenvolvimento humano de Bronfenbrenner (1996), cuja ênfase está na interconexão entre vários níveis do sistema ecológico. É uma abordagem que privilegia estudos em ambientes naturais que contemplem a realidade cotidiana vivenciada pelos sujeitos envolvidos - considerando estes em suas particularidades, bem como os ambientes nos quais estão inseridos. Dessa forma, a presente pesquisa possibilitou a inserção da pesquisadora no campo para coletar informações e poder dar ênfase ao olhar de crianças matriculadas no primeiro ano do ensino fundamental, para além da visão de seus pais e professores. Sendo assim, foram realizadas observações e entrevistas semi-estruturadas, com o objetivo principal de constatar situações de práticas e apreender as percepções dos sujeitos envolvidos com o ingresso no ensino fundamental. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em uma escola municipal de uma cidade do interior paulista, que atende estudantes do ensino fundamental. A coleta de dados ocorreu no período de março a agosto de 2008. Somaram-se trinta e três o número de sujeitos deste estudo: três professoras atuantes no 1º ano do ensino fundamental, quinze crianças deste mesmo ano e quinze responsáveis destas (pais e/ou mães, neste caso). As observações... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: From the approval of the Law 11.114, released in 05/16/05, which established that the sixyear- old children were enrolled in fundamental school - and considering that the family and the school are the most relevant contexts in a child's life - the aim of this work was to notice how the first year of the nine-year fundamental teaching takes place, and also, how the main involved - children, parents and teachers - notice the procedure. The quality study is based in the bioecological approach of Bronfenbrenner's human development, which emphasizes the interconnection among several levels of the ecological system. It's a kind of approach that privileges studies in natural atmospheres that contemplate the daily reality lived by the involved characters - considering them in their features, as well as the atmospheres in which they're inserted. This way, the present research enabled the researcher's inset to get information and be able to emphasize the look at the children who were enrolled in the first year of the fundamental reaching, for a further vision of their parents and teachers. So, remarks and semi-structured interviews were carried out, with the main goal of noticing practical situations and learning the perceiving of the characters involved in the entrance in the fundamental teaching. The research was carried out at a Town hall school in a city in the countryside of São Paulo state, which deals with fundamental teaching students. The data collection happened from March to August in the year 2008. The number of characters in this study was thirty-six: three teachers of the first year of fundamental teaching, fifteen children at the same course, and their fifteen fathers and mothers. The observations inside the classroom were carried out during the research time, and focused the situations in regular classes and other moments that surround the school... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

[pt] O desenvolvimento do campo de pesquisa em Finanças Comportamentais nos mostrou que por diversas vezes violamos postulados de racionalidade estrita utilizados pela Teoria da Utilidade Esperada e demais ferramentais ortodoxos de análise de decisões sob incerteza. Neste contexto, este trabalho utilizou como estrutura analítica alternativa as formas funcionais derivadas da Teoria do Prospecto e, tendo em vista esse modelo, foi replicado um experimento consolidado na literatura em uma amostra composta de alunos da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), sendo o objetivo estimar por máxima verossimilhança os parâmetros de risco e preferências temporais dos respondentes. Os resultados encontrados foram coerentes com outras evidências presentes na literatura, cabendo ressaltar que, para estes respondentes e talvez por sua formação, a modelo tradicional de desconto contínuo se mostrou uma aproximação melhor do que o previsto. / [en] The development of Behavioral Finance literature has shown us that for several times we violate the postulates of strict rationality assumed by the Theory of Expected Utility and other orthodox tools of decision analysis under uncertainty. In this context, this paper adopts the Prospect Theory as its analytical framework and, with this model, an experiment present in the literature of this field was conducted with a sample of students from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) which the purpose was to simultaneously estimate their risk and time preferences by applying a maximum likelihood approach. The results obtained were consistent with other present in the literature, and it should be pointed out that, for these respondents and perhaps because of their background, the orthodox continuous discount model proved to have a better fit than expected.