Supports · 2018
Suspicion, Cognition, and Automaticity Model of Phishing Susceptibility
Arun Vishwanath, Brynne Harrison, Yu Jie Ng
Key finding
Because training effects fade as people slip back into email routines, the authors built a model (SCAM) combining conscious cognitive processing, preconscious suspicion and habitual, automatic email use, and tested it across two phishing experiments. Email habits emerged as a key predictor of susceptibility alongside cognitive processing.
Why it mattersPositions habit and automaticity, not just knowledge, at the center of phishing susceptibility, which is the core Belief-to-Habit argument.
Informs- Pauses when a message pushes them to act fast supports
- Reinforces awareness at least every four months context
Vishwanath, A., Harrison, B., & Ng, Y. J. (2018). Suspicion, Cognition, and Automaticity Model of Phishing Susceptibility. Communication Research, 45(8), 1146-1166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650215627483