This study examines whether the negative relationship between email information security awareness and phishing email susceptibility is mediated by less intuitive decision-making when assessing emails, and whether this relationship is moderated by phishing email knowledge. Participants ( N = 291) completed an online email sorting task, a measure of email use information security awareness, a measure of preference for intuitive decision-making with emails, and a measure of phishing email knowledge. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that information security awareness predicted positive behavioural intentions directly and indirectly through lower preference for intuitive decision-making, and these relationships were stronger when phishing email knowledge was lower. Further, both the direct and indirect relationships between information security awareness and sensitivity through intuitive decision styles were moderated by phishing email knowledge, with information security awareness positively predicting ability to discriminate phishing from genuine emails when phishing knowledge was average or high but not low. These findings suggest that in the absence of phishing knowledge, information security awareness and less intuitive decision styles reduce susceptibility to phishing attacks through increased caution. Further, the findings provide strong support for the proposition that some level of phishing knowledge is required before email security behaviours and decision-making processes aid in the detection of phishing emails. From an applied perspective, the outcomes suggest that focusing on a combination of awareness, knowledge, and decision-making processes could increase the effectiveness of anti-phishing and cybersecurity training programs.

Email phishing is a serious and potentially catastrophic threat to organisations and individuals. Understanding what factors may influence individual susceptibility to phishing attacks is essential to protecting against cybercrime. We investigated the potential interplay between conscientiousness and cue utilisation in individuals’ ability to accurately differentiate between phishing and legitimate emails. University students (N = 255) completed a phishing detection task, the Mini International Personality Item Pool, and the phishing edition of the Expert Intensive Skill Evaluation (2.0) battery. After, they were sent simulated phishing emails to their student email address. A Signal Detection Theory approach revealed that higher cue utilisation was associated with a greater ability to tell whether an e-mail was phishing or not in the detection task. For the simulated phishing emails, participants with lower conscientiousness were more likely to click an embedded link in an unsophisticated phishing email, however cue utilisation had no association with email engagement in a naturalistic setting. The findings provide insight into why some people are more susceptible to phishing scams and reveal important differences in phishing sensitivity as a function of context, which has implications to interventions.

Abstract This study examined whether participants’ adherence to an algorithmic aid was related to the degree of control they were provided at decision point and their attitudes toward new technologies and algorithms. It also tested the influence of control on participants’ subjective reports of task demands whilst using the aid. A total of 159 participants completed an online experiment centred on a simulated forecasting task, which required participants to predict the performance of school students on a standardized mathematics test. For each student, participants also received an algorithm-generated forecast of their score. Participants were randomly assigned to either the ‘full control’ (adjust forecast as much as they wish), ‘moderate control’ (adjust forecast by 30%) or ‘restricted control’ (adjust forecast by 2%) group. Participants then completed an assessment of subjective task load, a measure of their explicit attitudes toward new technologies, demographic and experience items (age, gender and computer literacy) and a novel version of the Go/No-Go Association Task, which tested their implicit attitudes toward algorithms. The results revealed that participants who were provided with more control over the final forecast tended to deviate from it more greatly and reported lower levels of frustration. Furthermore, participants showing more positive implicit attitudes toward algorithms were found to deviate less from the algorithm’s forecasts, irrespective of the degree of control they were given. The findings allude to the importance of users’ control and preexisting attitudes in their acceptance of, and frustration in using a novel algorithmic aid, which may ultimately contribute to their intention to use them in the workplace. These findings can guide system developers and support workplaces implementing expert system technology.

This study aimed to investigate people’s willingness to accept algorithmic over human advice, under varying conditions of previous algorithmic performance and decision significance. We randomly presented hypothetical scenarios to 218 participants. Scenarios differed in relation to decision context (i.e., choices relating to taxi-routes, movies, restaurants, medical interventions, savings strategies, and bush fire evacuation), and within each scenario past algorithmic performance was also varied (equal, above average, or far greater than the human expert). Participants were asked to rate decision significance, and their likelihood of choosing the algorithmic advice over the human expert. Based on participants’ perceived decision significance, scenarios were classified as either low- or high-stakes. We tested for differences in participants’ ratings of algorithmic acceptance across levels of past performance and decision significance. Results revealed that as past accuracy and decision significance increased, the likelihood of algorithmic advice adoption also increased. An interaction between past accuracy and decision significance indicated increased algorithmic advice acceptance under conditions of far greater previous performance, in high-, compared to low-stakes scenarios. These findings are contrary to a large body of past research wherein people’s algorithm aversion persisted despite superior algorithmic performance and have implications to human-algorithm interaction and system design.

The world’s populations and workforces are aging and older adults are now the fastest growing group of internet users. Unfortunately, age-related declines may prevent older adults from performing web-based tasks with the same ease as their younger counterparts. Recent studies have suggested that peripheral navigation may exacerbate age-related online performance gaps as older adults fail to adequately search peripheral elements. Such studies have however relied on the use of preexisting websites with no control for layout, complexity, or prior familiarity. This study tested whether age-related differences in online performance and search behavior exist across various navigational layouts. Participants (N = 47) completed four online tasks with purpose-built websites of equivalent difficulty, length, and content type, yet with varying navigational layouts (center; left-periphery; top-periphery; inconsistent). Participants’ performance (i.e., accuracy/efficiency), search behavior (i.e., eye gaze/fixation), and satisfaction were examined. Identifiable differences between age-groups and navigational layouts were found, with top-peripheral navigation proving most detrimental to the online performance and satisfaction of both younger and older adults. The results inform design principles that aim to increase older adults’ online functionality, and provide an extensive platform for further research.

Abstract This exploratory experiment tested the effect of two virtual reality (VR) relaxation interventions on measures of physiological arousal and affect, compared to a control. Forty-nine participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, all using the Oculus Rift. Participants wore a heart rate (HR) monitor and completed pre- and post-test surveys, including the positive and negative affect schedule, Likert-type and open feedback questions. Mixed repeated measures ANOVAs revealed significant reductions in HR and affect over time across all conditions, with a significant interaction identified for the breathing condition’s effect on negative affect. Participants were able to identify feeling relaxation, as well as influencing factors. Further, the majority expected, and supported, the introduction of VR interventions in their workplace and/or college, with privacy being a common concern. These results demonstrate the potential of VR augmented relaxation interventions with recommendations for further study provided. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS VR can potentially provide wellbeing interventions with a uniquely immersive quality Results suggest interactive and immersive VR experiences may facilitate relaxation and reduce stress Participants believe there may be substantial benefits to having VR wellbeing interventions at work and college.

This study examined trainee crime-scene investigators' preference for, and accuracy in using, four different computer-based decision support interface designs, each of which incorporated a different reduced processing information acquisition strategy. The interfaces differed on the basis of the number of options that could be considered simultaneously and the level of control that could be exercised over the number and sequence in which feature values were accessed. Forty trainee investigators completed six decision scenarios in which they were asked to acquire information and formulate a decision by selecting one of three options. The study comprised two phases, the first of which involved familiarizing participants with each of the four interface designs and collecting performance and subjective data. The second phase involved trainees selecting one of the four interfaces to engage in a fifth and sixth decision scenario involving high or low levels of time-pressure. The results indicated that the “all options, full control” interface was the preferred option in the low time-pressure condition. Although the strategy remained the most frequently selected in the high time-pressure condition, this preference was not significant. It was concluded that the perceptions of difficulty and the degree of user control over information acquisition were more important than perceived efficiency in the selection of computer-based interface designs. The outcomes have implications for the design of decision support systems.