Basics Beginner: Psychology and Investing

Test your knowledge

Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer to each question.

0%
Keep studying!
Review your answers below to learn more.
1.
What does investing with the crowd often lead to?
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
Choosing investments that are inappropriate for your goals. Following investment fashion can lead to fading performance or inappropriate investments for your particular goals.
2.
In investing, self-handicapping might be considered the opposite of _______.
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
Overconfidence. Self-handicapping involves looking for excuses beforehand to explain why something might not work. If it indeed does not work, we have handicapped ourselves.
3.
An example of sunk costs is _______.
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
Holding on to a stock for too long because you have put a lot of money into it. When we have "sunk" money into something, we may be reluctant to let go of it when it turns into a loser.
4.
In the world of investing, what does overconfidence refer to?
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
The ability to think that one is smarter than one really is. Overconfidence stretches normal confidence to unhealthy levels.
5.
What does representativeness lead to?
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
Giving too much weight to recent performance. Representativeness is a mental shortcut that causes investors to give too much weight to recent evidence--such as short-term performance numbers--and too little weight to evidence from the more distant past. For instance, a look at a companys profit trends over the past six years is likely to yield more insight than looking at that companys stock performance over the past six months.
6.
With regard to investing behavior, mental accounting refers to following the crowd.
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
False. Mental accounting refers to keeping ones money in different buckets for different purposes.
7.
Confirmation bias is the practice of _______.
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
Giving preference to information that supports what we already believe. This practice can sometimes limit our success with investing by shutting out other opportunities.
8.
A way to describe the psychological concept of loss aversion is this: strongly preferring to avoid losses over acquiring gains.
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
True. This behavior can in some cases cause you to lose money.
9.
A disadvantage of "anchoring" behavior in investing is that you might hold onto an investment longer than you should, given the fundamentals of the company behind it.
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
True. As an investor, you might stick with an investment in order to wait for a point at which it will be "worth it" to you, which might lead to a loss on it.
10.
What is a good way as an investor to avoid falling prey to the framing effect?
Choose wisely. There is only one correct answer.
Consider the total return of your investments. Seeing your choice in terms of the total return can help you avoid framing it in relative terms, which can be costly.