Interactions And Decisions In Trading

This article reviews recent empirical studies in order to address the questions: What is sociology's specific contribution to the study of decision-making in financial trading, and how can it gain a distinct voice in the conversation with behavioural economics and experimental game theory? It begins with an argument about the importance of studying the interaction order. It then provides an overview of the relevant sociological and game-theoretical concepts, and shows how the study of interactions provides sociologists with genuine analytical tools. It narrows down the focus to cognition and emotions; judgment and valuation; and use of models. It mobilizes recent empirical studies, highlighting how the sociology of interactions has dealt with these issues, and how sociological solutions contribute to understanding the issue of decision-making. Finally, it investigates how a sociological research program on trading interactions can be developed and sustained as a meaningful body of research.