Start Date
11-8-2016
Description
We develop a proposal to test the role of priming and self-concept maintenance theory in an information security context. Self-concept maintenance theory proposes that ethical behavior is influenced by two particular mechanisms: attention to standards and categorization. Attention to standards refers to the extent to which individuals are cognizant about their moral standards; categorization refers to how an individual classifies a situation in terms of the ethical dilemma it poses. Through controlled experiments we propose to test the effects of these mechanisms on how individuals respond to an intellectual property infringement scenario and whether or not they commit a security policy violation. The studies employ conscious and subconscious primes and are tested under distinct conditions, namely when participants are being monitored and when having different sets of performance goals. In a discussion we note the importance of understanding the ethics of manipulating employee behavior through this type of activity.
Recommended Citation
DePaula, Nic and Goel, Sanjay, "Priming Security Behavior: A Study Based on Self-Concept Maintenance Theory" (2016). AMCIS 2016 Proceedings. 31.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2016/ISSec/Presentations/31
Priming Security Behavior: A Study Based on Self-Concept Maintenance Theory
We develop a proposal to test the role of priming and self-concept maintenance theory in an information security context. Self-concept maintenance theory proposes that ethical behavior is influenced by two particular mechanisms: attention to standards and categorization. Attention to standards refers to the extent to which individuals are cognizant about their moral standards; categorization refers to how an individual classifies a situation in terms of the ethical dilemma it poses. Through controlled experiments we propose to test the effects of these mechanisms on how individuals respond to an intellectual property infringement scenario and whether or not they commit a security policy violation. The studies employ conscious and subconscious primes and are tested under distinct conditions, namely when participants are being monitored and when having different sets of performance goals. In a discussion we note the importance of understanding the ethics of manipulating employee behavior through this type of activity.