Although research in this area has not yet identified a comprehensive theory of why people fixate on accounting information and are susceptible to format effects, Maines and McDaniel (2000) present what Libby et al. (2002, 784) refer to as, ‘‘the beginnings of a theory of format effects. ’’ In particular, Maines and McDaniel (2000) list five factors that affect the degree to which investors will rely on a particular disclosure in assessments of corporate performance: (1) placement, (2) labeling as income, (3) linkage to net income, (4) isolation, and (5) degree of aggregation