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The Influence of Cognitive Bias on Professional Judgment in Auditing: An Empirical Study from Egypt

Article

Last updated: 04 Jan 2025

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Tags

المحاسبة

Abstract

Audits of financial statements necessitate the utilization of professional judgment, as the procedures and the strategies outlined in auditing standards lack straightforward and clear-cut instructions for auditors to follow when conducting an audit. Although auditors are expected to adopt thorough thinking methodologies when making decisions, there is a high probability that they may not make the right decision due to the cognitive biases and judgmental traps. This study aims to examine how significant psychological biases affect auditors' professional judgment when conducting an audit. Based on recent literature in the fields of accounting, auditing, and psychology, the researcher outlines four distinct biases that impact the quality of professional judgment for external auditors. To test the study hypothesis, the researcher collected data from 118 certified auditors for survey analysis.   The study's main finding is that cognitive biases such as self- serving bias, cognitive dissonance, jump to a conclusion and sunk-cost fallacy can negatively affect auditor's professional judgment. The study indicates that understanding the impact of cognitive biases on auditor independence and professional judgment is critical for enhancing auditor professional judgment and improving audit quality accordingly. The study recommends that auditors should have adequate training to identify and manage their cognitive biases. Also, professional organizations and standards setter should develop procedures to minimize the impact of cognitive biases on auditors' professional judgment.

DOI

10.21608/jces.2023.346529

Keywords

Auditor professional judgment, cognitive biases, self- serving bias, Cognitive Dissonance, jump to a conclusion, sunk-cost fallacy, Audit quality

Authors

First Name

Samah

Last Name

Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Khaleq

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Lecturer of Accounting and auditing Faculty of Commerce – Cairo University

Email

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City

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Orcid

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Volume

14

Article Issue

4

Related Issue

45560

Issue Date

2023-10-01

Receive Date

2024-10-01

Publish Date

2023-10-30

Page Start

150

Page End

238

Print ISSN

2090-3782

Link

https://jces.journals.ekb.eg/article_346529.html

Detail API

https://jces.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=346529

Order

96

Type

المقالة الأصلية

Type Code

986

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

المجلة العلمية للدراسات التجارية والبيئية

Publication Link

https://jces.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

The Influence of Cognitive Bias on Professional Judgment in Auditing: An Empirical Study from Egypt

Details

Type

Article

Created At

24 Dec 2024