A Replication Study of the Impact of Impulsivity on Risky Cybersecurity Behaviors

Hadlington (2017) conducted a survey using respondents from the United Kingdom (UK) to examine the relationship between the three dimensions of impulsivity and risky cybersecurity behavior. His results showed that risky cybersecurity behavior was positively correlated to attentional impulsivity and motor impulsivity, but was negatively correlated with non-planning impulsivity. He also examined the relationship between internet addiction and attitude towards cybersecurity, and, risky cybersecurity behaviors. Our longer term goal is to conduct research to gain an in-depth understanding of the role of impulsivity in cybersecurity. Towards this end, we conducted a methodological replication of the Hadlington study to determine the generalizability of his results for respondents from a different country, i.e., USA. Our replication confirmed most of the correlations between the variables in Hadlington’s study, though there are some differences that need further examination. We further explored the data in search of meaningful patterns in risky cybersecurity behaviors scale and its relationship with different impulsivity components. Our exploratory analysis suggests a need for a typology of cybersecurity behaviors. Overall, we see a sufficient basis to pursue research on the effects of impulsivity on risky security behaviors.