Individual differences in susceptibility to online influence: A theoretical review
Williams, Emma J. ; Beardmore, Amy ; Joinson, Adam N. (2017) — Computers in Human Behavior
Type:
Journal Article
Country:
Global
Synopsis (AI-Generated)
This theoretical review synthesizes literature on online scams, social influence, phishing, persuasion, decision-making, and individual differences. It develops a holistic conceptual model in which susceptibility reflects recipient traits, current state, context, and influence mechanisms, intended as a basis for future hypothesis testing and experimentation. Scammers use emotional triggers, including panic, excitement, curiosity, and empathy, to encourage judgment and decision-making errors. Habitual patterns of email use can increase susceptibility to phishing attempts. The article is a theoretical review rather than a new empirical study.
Identified Gaps (AI-Generated)
Research on individual differences in online-scam susceptibility is limited by under-reporting, difficulty accessing relevant populations, and little experimental work. The effects of emotions on scam responses are largely neglected. The magnitude and interaction of trait, state, contextual, and message-level risk factors remain unknown, as do the most effective intervention targets and mechanisms of training.
Methods (AI-Generated)
This theoretical review synthesizes literature on online scams, social influence, phishing, persuasion, decision-making, and individual differences. It develops a holistic conceptual model in which susceptibility reflects recipient traits, current state, context, and influence mechanisms, intended as a basis for future hypothesis testing and experimentation.
Limitations (AI-Generated)
The article is a theoretical review rather than a new empirical study. Its proposed risk factors are drawn partly from adjacent fields because direct research on online-scam susceptibility is limited. The relationships, effect sizes, and interactions specified in the proposed model are explicitly unknown and require empirical testing.
Future Work (AI-Generated)
Test the proposed model experimentally to determine how trait, state, contextual, and message factors combine to affect susceptibility. Establish whether effects are additive, multiplicative, or limited by a ceiling. Identify intervention points with the greatest effect on secure behaviour, and examine how training and education reduce susceptibility and why suspicious people may still succumb.
AI-Generated Content Notice
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