The Impact of Financial Instrument Reporting Complexity on Investors' Cognitive and Judgmental Components: Experimental Evidence in the Framework of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT)

The goal of this study is to investigate the complexity of financial instruments and explains their effects on judgment and decision making process for users of the financial statement in the Framework of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). For this purpose, we conduct a 2 × 2 × 2 within-between experiment design with investors as participants. In this study, independent variables of presentation method (disaggregation versus aggregation), disclosure method (quantitative and qualitative versus quantitative) and measurement value (amortized cost versus amortized cost with fair values) have been manipulated and their effects on the dependent variables of the amount of information received, the amount of mental effort and judgment of the participants have been evaluated. Data analysis of research by comparing the mean of groups and statistical tests of Wilcoxon paired and Mann-Whitney shows that, when the quantitative and the qualitative information about the vulnerability of financial instruments to the risks exposed with them is disclosed and their values are measured at amortized cost in the financial statements, participants achieve more information and spend less mental effort for processing of the information. Also, different scenarios of disclosure and measurement value lead to significant differences in the participants' judgment. The research results shows that, the method of disclosure of information and measurement values to measure the value of financial instruments can affect the cognitive and judgmental components of users. However, the effects of the disaggregation or aggregation presentation of the components related to financial instruments on the above components have not verified.