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Improving Experienced Auditors’ Detection of Deception in CEO Narratives

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  • JESSEN L. HOBSON
  • WILLIAM J. MAYEW
  • MARK E. PEECHER
  • MOHAN VENKATACHALAM

Abstract

We experimentally study the deception detection capabilities of experienced auditors, using CEO narratives from earnings conference calls as case materials. We randomly assign narratives of fraud and nonfraud companies to auditors as well as the presence versus absence of an instruction explaining that cognitive dissonance in speech is helpful for detecting deception. We predict this instruction will weaken auditors’ learned tendency to overlook fraud cues. We find that auditors’ deception judgments are less accurate for fraud companies than for nonfraud companies, unless they receive this instruction. We also find that instructed auditors more extensively describe red flags for fraud companies and more accurately identify specific sentences in narratives that pertain to underlying frauds. These findings indicate that instructing experienced auditors to be alert for cognitive dissonance in CEO narratives can activate deception detection capabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessen L. Hobson & William J. Mayew & Mark E. Peecher & Mohan Venkatachalam, 2017. "Improving Experienced Auditors’ Detection of Deception in CEO Narratives," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(5), pages 1137-1166, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:55:y:2017:i:5:p:1137-1166
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12181
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dan Dacian Cuzdriorean, 2018. "Auditing Research: A Review Of Recent Research Advances," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 6(4), pages 14-26.
    2. Bennett, G. Bradley & Hatfield, Richard C., 2018. "Staff auditors' proclivity for computer-mediated communication with clients and its effect on skeptical behavior," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 68, pages 42-57.
    3. Xi Fu & Xiaoxi Wu & Zhifang Zhang, 2021. "The Information Role of Earnings Conference Call Tone: Evidence from Stock Price Crash Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(3), pages 643-660, October.
    4. Lukui Huang & Alan Abrahams & Peter Ractham, 2022. "Enhanced financial fraud detection using cost‐sensitive cascade forest with missing value imputation," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 133-155, July.
    5. Aghazadeh, Sanaz & Joe, Jennifer R., 2022. "Auditors' response to management confidence and misstatement risk," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).

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