SPOT THE SIGNS: THE ROLE OF COGNITIVE REFLECTION, RESPONSE TIME, SELF-CONTROL AND ENGAGEMENT LEVEL ON SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ECOMMERCE SCAMS

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between susceptibility to e-commerce scams and four predictors: cognitive reflection, response time, self-control and engagement level. It was hypothesized that higher cognitive reflection, response time, self-control and engagement level would be associated with lower scam susceptibility. Participants were recruited from the National University of Singapore, and from the general public. A non-experimental method was utilized and 254 participants answered questions pertaining to e-commerce product listings which contained legitimate and scam listings. Participants’ response time and engagement level were measured through Qualtrics’s “timing question”. Cognitive reflection was measured via cognitive reflection tests, and self-control was measured through the total self-control scale. Scam susceptibility was measured through participants’ choice, liking, recommendation and suspicion of scam phones. Results showed that response time significantly predicted scam susceptibility, (X2(2, N = 254) = 24.93, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .31). Participants with higher response time were associated with lower scam susceptibility. There were no significant association between cognitive reflection, self-control and engagement level on scam susceptibility. The results have important implications for scam prevention campaigns, such as emphasizing the importance of “stop and think” before e-commerce purchase decisions.