IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/joares/v60y2022i5p1775-1811.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Do Disclosure Repetition and Interactivity Influence Investors’ Judgments?

Author

Listed:
  • NERISSA C. BROWN
  • BRIAN T. GALE
  • STEPHANIE M. GRANT

Abstract

Recent regulatory amendments aimed at modernizing disclosures and enhancing their usefulness focus on repetition and interactivity within firms’ disclosure filings. We use two experiments to provide evidence on the effects of disclosure repetition (repeating of information in the filing) and disclosure interactivity (user involvement in directing the form or content of the information displayed) on investors’ information processing and investment judgments. Results show that repetition increases investors’ processing of repeated information, consistent with the informational role of repetition documented in prior research. In contrast, repetition reduces investors’ processing of other, nonrepeated information when the filing is less interactive. This evidence corroborates concerns that repetition can obscure value‐relevant information from investors. However, we find that more interactive disclosures mitigate this harmful effect of repetition on investors’ processing of nonrepeated information. Further, more interactive disclosures lead to deeper overall processing of both repeated and nonrepeated information, rather than more interactive disclosures redirecting investors’ attention and processing away from repeated information. Thus, our evidence suggests that disclosure interactivity is an important disclosure attribute that counteracts the potentially harmful effects of repetition on investors' processing of nonrepeated information, while preserving repetition's informational role.

Suggested Citation

  • Nerissa C. Brown & Brian T. Gale & Stephanie M. Grant, 2022. "How Do Disclosure Repetition and Interactivity Influence Investors’ Judgments?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1775-1811, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:60:y:2022:i:5:p:1775-1811
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12420
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12420
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1475-679X.12420?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tibor Besedes & Cary Deck & Sudipta Sarangi & Mikhael Shor, 2015. "Reducing Choice Overload without Reducing Choices," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 97(4), pages 793-802, October.
    2. J. Richard Dietrich & Steven J. Kachelmeier & Don N. Kleinmuntz & Thomas J. Linsmeier, 2001. "Market Efficiency, Bounded Rationality, and Supplemental Business Reporting Disclosures," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(2), pages 243-268, September.
    3. repec:tpr:restat:v:97:y:2015:i:5:p:793-802 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Maines, La, 1990. "The Effect Of Forecast Redundancy On Judgments Of A Consensus Forecasts Expected Accuracy," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28, pages 29-47.
    5. W. Brooke Elliott & Jessen L. Hobson & Brian J. White, 2015. "Earnings Metrics, Information Processing, and Price Efficiency in Laboratory Markets," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 555-592, June.
    6. Kristina Rennekamp, 2012. "Processing Fluency and Investors’ Reactions to Disclosure Readability," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5), pages 1319-1354, December.
    7. Stephanie M. Grant, 2020. "How Does Using a Mobile Device Change Investors’ Reactions to Firm Disclosures?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(3), pages 741-775, June.
    8. Hirshleifer, David & Teoh, Siew Hong, 2003. "Limited attention, information disclosure, and financial reporting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1-3), pages 337-386, December.
    9. Li, Feng, 2008. "Annual report readability, current earnings, and earnings persistence," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2-3), pages 221-247, August.
    10. Jessen L. Hobson, 2011. "Do the Benefits of Reducing Accounting Complexity Persist in Markets Prone to Bubble?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 957-989, September.
    11. Petty, Richard E & Cacioppo, John T & Schumann, David, 1983. "Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 10(2), pages 135-146, September.
    12. Robert Libby & Scott A. Emett, 2014. "Earnings presentation effects on manager reporting choices and investor decisions," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 410-438, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Wei & Tan, Hun-Tong & Wang, Elaine Ying, 2023. "The impact of repeated notifications and notification checking mode on investors' reactions to managers’ strategic positive title emphasis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martin, Rachel, 2019. "Examination and implications of experimental research on investor perceptions," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 145-169.
    2. Bin Miao & Siew Hong Teoh & Zinan Zhu, 2016. "Limited attention, statement of cash flow disclosure, and the valuation of accruals," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 473-515, June.
    3. Umar, Tarik, 2022. "Complexity aversion when SeekingAlpha," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2).
    4. Samuel B. Bonsall & Brian P. Miller, 2017. "The impact of narrative disclosure readability on bond ratings and the cost of debt," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 608-643, June.
    5. Chen, Chen & Hanlon, Dean & Khedmati, Mehdi & Wake, James, 2023. "Annual report readability and equity mispricing," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3).
    6. Koonce, Lisa & Mongold, Cassie & Quaid, Laura & White, Brian J., 2024. "Experimental research on standard-setting issues in financial reporting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    7. Blankespoor, Elizabeth & deHaan, Ed & Marinovic, Iván, 2020. "Disclosure processing costs, investors’ information choice, and equity market outcomes: A review," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2).
    8. Lisa Koonce & Zheng Leitter & Brian White, 2023. "The effect of a warning on investors’ reactions to disclosure readability," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 769-791, June.
    9. Eddy Cardinaels & Stephan Hollander & Brian J. White, 2019. "Automatic summarization of earnings releases: attributes and effects on investors’ judgments," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 860-890, September.
    10. Lawrence, Alastair, 2013. "Individual investors and financial disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 130-147.
    11. W. Brooke Elliott & Jessen L. Hobson & Brian J. White, 2015. "Earnings Metrics, Information Processing, and Price Efficiency in Laboratory Markets," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 555-592, June.
    12. Elisabeth Sinnewe & Troy Yao & Mahbub Zaman, 2021. "Informing or obfuscating stakeholders: Integrated reporting and the information environment," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3893-3906, December.
    13. Danial Hemmings & Lynn Hodgkinson & Gwion Williams, 2020. "It's OK to pay well, if you write well: The effects of remuneration disclosure readability," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5-6), pages 547-586, May.
    14. Xiao Carol Cui, 2016. "Calisthenics with Words: The Effect of Readability and Investor Sophistication on Investors’ Performance Judgment," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-14, January.
    15. Stirnkorb, Sebastian, 2024. "Transaction cost unbundling and investors’ reliance on investment research: Evidence from experimental asset markets," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    16. Cassell, Cory A. & Myers, Linda A. & Seidel, Timothy A., 2015. "Disclosure transparency about activity in valuation allowance and reserve accounts and accruals-based earnings management," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 23-38.
    17. W. Brooke Elliott & Brian T. Gale & Jessen L. Hobson, 2022. "The Joint Influence of Information Push and Value Relevance on Investor Judgments and Market Efficiency," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 1049-1083, June.
    18. Cardinaels, Eddy & Hollander, Stephan & White, Brian, 2019. "Automatic summarization of earnings releases : Attributes and effects on investors’ judgments," Other publications TiSEM 721f64f4-033e-453b-a3e7-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    19. Fahd Alduais & Nashat Ali Almasria & Abeer Samara & Ali Masadeh, 2022. "Conciseness, Financial Disclosure, and Market Reaction: A Textual Analysis of Annual Reports in Listed Chinese Companies," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, November.
    20. Sau Yu Ong & Robyn Moroney & Xinning Xiao, 2022. "How do key audit matter characteristics combine to impact financial statement understandability?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 805-835, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:60:y:2022:i:5:p:1775-1811. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0021-8456 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.