The accounting literature has used the midpoint of range forecasts in various research settings, assuming that the midpoint is the best proxy for managers' earnings expectations revealed in range forecasts. We argue that given managers' asymmetric loss functions regarding earnings surprises,...

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we capture neural activity in the ventral striatum — a key area in the human brain's reward processing circuit — of 35 adult investors learning the earnings per share disclosed by 60 publicly traded companies. Before imaging, investors forecasted...