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Investigating Psychological Factors In Phishing Susceptibility: Insights From Autistic and Neurotypical Individuals

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Investigating Psychological Factors In Susceptibility To Phishing
 
Participant Information Sheet
 

What does this study involve?
The project aims to assess and explore the psychological factors that play a role in susceptibility to cybercrime, specifically phishing, focusing on individuals with and without autism. The study will measure different psychological factors to determine if there are constructs that can contribute to an individual’s susceptibility. You will be asked to respond to certain messages and short questions in the survey. All the tasks are designed to be simple and will not take much of your time.
 
Do I have to take part?

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you are free to make your own choice about whether you would like to take part. You are encouraged to read this information participation sheet to understand what the study involves. If you have any questions you can contact the researcher. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to sign a quick consent form before the study begins. You can withdraw from the survey without explanation before the survey ends by closing your browser. If you choose to withdraw your data, it will be removed and not used in the analysis. However, due to all data being anonymous, once you submit your responses, it will no longer be possible to withdraw your data.
 
To take part, you must fit the criteria of being fluent in English, being over 18 years old, and must self-identify as autistic or non-autistic or have a diagnosis of autism. Individuals with prior cybersecurity training will be excluded from taking part.



Are there any risks associated with taking part in this study?

We do not anticipate any risks or disadvantages to taking part in this project. If the questionnaire asks a question that you do not want to answer for any reason, you can choose not to answer or withdraw. Please consider if you have the time to take part in the survey before starting, it should take approximately 10-20 minutes.

What will happen to the information I provide?

All the research data you provide will be fully anonymous as we will not ask for any personally identifying information. However, there will be an option to enter a prize draw upon completion of the survey. If you want to take part in this we will ask you to provide your email address. This will be completely separate from the responses in the survey. Your email address will be deleted once the prize draw winners are announced. All data collected during this research will be stored on the University of Bath’s X drive in compliance with the University’s data protection policies. Data will remain stored here until it is processed and prepared for open access, ensuring appropriate confidentiality. After the project is finished, we can provide you with a summary of the project results if you would like. This summary will not include any identifiable information and will only show the findings of the project. Upon completion of the project, the anonymous data you provide will be made open access. This means it may be used by researchers globally for further academic research.

What will happen to the results of this research?
These results will be summarised and presented as part of a written research report. The data will be used towards an undergraduate dissertation at the University of Bath. The results of this study may be published in academic journals or shared with the wider research community. Any data shared will be fully anonymous, ensuring individual participants cannot be identified. In accordance with the University of Bath’s research data policy, the anonymous data will be securely stored for a minimum of 10 years.
 
University of Bath privacy notice

The University of Bath privacy notice can be found here: https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/university-of-bath-privacy-notice-for-research-participants/ 
 
What do I do if I have any questions about this research?

If you have any questions about this study, please contact the researcher, Toby Tracey  (tt691@bath.ac.uk)
If you have any concerns related to your participation in this study, please direct them to the Chair of the Department of Psychology Research Ethics Committee, email: HSS-faculty-ethics@bath.ac.uk 
 
Ethics application reference number: 7947-9638
Your participation is greatly appreciated. If you are happy to continue, please press the “next” button to take you to the consent form.
Consent Form 
Please read each of the following statements carefully. 
​Select whether you agree or disagree with the following statements which indicate your consent to take part in the study.  
  
Once finished, please click the arrow button to continue . If you do not want to consent, please close your browser now. By continuing, you consent to participating in this study given the statements below. (please select one)
Agree
Disagree
I understand the nature and purpose of the procedures involved in this study. These have been communicated to me in the information sheet in the previous page.
I understand that my participation will require approximately  10-20 minutes of my time today
I understand and acknowledge that the investigation is designed to promote scientific knowledge and that the University of Bath will use the data I provide for no purpose other than research and the dissemination of findings.
I understand that participation in this study is entirely voluntary, and I can withdraw from the study at any time before it ends without providing a reason.
I understand that the information provided by me will be held anonymously.
I understand that I cannot withdraw my data from the study once the study is completed (this does not affect my right to withdraw at any time).
I understand that the  anonymous data I provide will be made “open data”, which means that my anonymous data will be made publicly available and may be used for purposes not related to this study.
I understand that data collected for this study will be stored securely for a minimum of 10 years, in accordance with the University of Bath's data management policies and requirements for published research. This anonymous data may be used for future research projects or included in open-access repositories, ensuring it contributes to broader scientific understanding.
I consent to taking part in this study.
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