Related effects have also been documented in recognition versus disclosure-type situations, wherein investors appear to view recognized values as different from disclosed values (Harper et al. 1987; Davis-Friday et al. 1999; Davis-Friday et al. 2004; Ahmed et al. 2006).12 Whether this behavior is irrational, however, is debatable. Although recognition versus disclosure need not, in theory, alter the fundamental economic properties of the recognized/disclosed item, in practice there may be important differences between items that have been recognized in the financial statements,
rather than merely disclosed. In particular, Libby et al. (2006) show that the decision to disclose versus recognize can reduce information reliability because auditors are more likely to require correction of misstatements in recognized amounts than when those same amounts are only disclosed. Presentation effects have also been documented in the context of segment-reporting (Maines et al. 1997) and accounting for intangibles (Luft and Shields 2001).