Decision making and Neuroaccounting perspective: an Eye-Tracking investigation on Accounting information disclosure

This study follows an interdisciplinary approach in order to highlight the importance of disclosure in financial accounting information through a Behavioral perspective. Starting with a behavioral accounting research approach and moving on studying the possible interconnection with neuroeconomics field, it has been created a systematic theoretical framework for the emerging field of neuroaccounting. The final objective is to deepen the visual profile of accounting, which could be inherent to accounting information disclosed in reports, connecting it to the decision-making process through the trend of visual attention. The research implemented a neuroaccounting methodology, the Eye-tracker, in preliminary experiments on accounting disclosure in order to examine the effective decision-making process step by step instead of the final decision taken. In those preliminary experiments the visual profile of accounting is supposed to be a means to test the assumed superior quality of IFRS accounting standards as perceived, in terms of utility by users, during a decision-making process. Preliminary results show that disclosure in IFRS-compliant financial statements is positively linked with respondent visual attention. However, there appears to be no meaningful link between visual attention and the accounting concepts the IFRS perspective generates. This research represents the beginning to demonstrate the importance of visual profile in accounting disclosure, opening other great opportunities to exploit.