Other evidence is given by Jones and Luther (2005, p. 180), who cite a financial accountant stating “. . . what we are doing with the external reserves . . . you would never show that in the management accounts”.
The assumed need for consistent accounting information is in line with behavioural research indicating that human beings strive for consistency in their individual decision-making process. One of the seminal works in this field is Festinger’s (1957) theory of cognitive dissonance
with the following two core hypotheses: