PROBLEM-CENTERED RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE-BASED THEORY IN THE PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING SETTING

The paper discusses the emerging need for theory development and much more extensive task and context analysis with respect to cognition in the professional accounting setting (''accounting'' being taken to inc lude the various accounting, auditing, tax and related subjects about which accounting professionals exercise judgment). The paper examines how such theory development and task and context analysis can improve the research and its contribution to understanding the professional se ttings that are the province of accounting research. Our analysis refl ects our proposal that accounting judgment research contribute more st rongly to the general body of accounting research, and deal better wit h practitioners' problems. From our analysis, we conclude that die lac k of theory development is associated with several problems in the res earch, including an over-emphasis on transference of simplified models from psychology, inappropriate use of normative criteria for evaluati ng performance, and an over-emphasis on accountants and auditors rathe r than accounting and auditing. We offer a large number of constructiv e comments about task analysis, theory development and other steps to guide future accounting judgement research.