FAR Working Paper 2020/12-05: Auditors’ Professional Skepticism: Traits, Behavioral Intentions, and Actions
Auditors’ professional skepticism is critical to applying auditing standards and achieving audit quality. Prior research provides measures of skepticism in general, and auditor-specific trait skepticism. Other research develops and tests a theoretical model of auditor professional skepticism, positing factors that contribute to skeptical intentions and skeptical actions. In this paper, we provide an empirical test of these measures and theories, examining individual differences and personality traits that affect trait-based professional skepticism, testing the associations between factors related to behavioral intentions toward skepticism, and revealing their collective association with skeptical actions. We use data from a sample of 663 auditors across all ranks from staff through partner who each completed an experiential questionnaire relating to one of their actual audit engagements. We find that individual differences (gender, experience, and knowledge) are associated with differential levels of professional trait skepticism, as are personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, narcissism and psychopathy).
Authors
Kris Hardies obtained his Ph.D. from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2011, worked at the University of Florida in 2012 and is currently an associate professor at the Universiteit Antwerpen where he teaches accounting and auditing at the BSc and MSc level. His research interests include professional skepticism, personality and individual differences, capital markets and firm behavior, and gender inequality. His recent research focuses on the effects of personality and individual differences among auditors on audit quality. His work has been published in journals such as Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Accounting Horizon, European Accounting Review, International Journal of Auditing, and Economics Letters.
Ann Vanstraelen is Full Professor of Accounting and Assurance Services at Maastricht University and serves as Head of the department of Accounting and Information Management. She coordinates the multidisciplinary research theme "Culture, Ethics and Leadership". She earned her PhD at the University of Antwerp. Her research interests relate to the broad field of auditing and assurance services, governance, corporate reporting and disclosure, with a specific focus on the quality of accounting and auditing practices.
PhD Researcher at University of Antwerp & Maastricht University
