Cognition, affect, and intuition as predictors of susceptibility to persuasion in social engineering among risk-aware targets

Abstract Social engineering (SE) exploits human psychology to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. This study examines whether the personal factors of Need for Cognition (NFC), Need for Affect (NFA), and Faith in Intuition (FI) are associated with differences in risk-taking across different SE scenarios, each employing one of Cialdini’s six persuasion principles: scarcity, reciprocity, likability, social proof, commitment and consistency, and authority. The study focuses on two distinct cultural contexts: Arab GCC and British populations, comparing how these factors affect risk-taking across both groups. Our methodological approach involved developing and face-validating twelve online scenarios reflecting the presence and absence of each of the six principles. The outcome measure was the delta in risk-taking attitude, representing the difference in risk-taking between a presence and an absence scenario. This approach offers a novel method to measure the direct impact of persuasive cues posed by each of Cialdini’s principles. The survey scenarios revolved around an online group member, a software developer, asking group members to install and try a new mobile application. Hierarchical linear regression was employed to assess the incremental contribution of each predictor at different stages of the model. Our dataset consisted of 651 participants, with 329 from the Gulf region (Arab sample) and 322 from the UK (British sample). Results indicated that NFA was strongly associated with risk-taking behavior under the likability principle among the British sample. Additionally, a model incorporating all three predictors, NFC, FI, and NFA, performed best in scenarios involving the reciprocity principle across both samples. Future research should explore additional factors, relationships, and contexts that may enhance the predictive validity of these cognitive and affective traits in SE susceptibility. Understanding how NFC, NFA, and FI influence the processing of manipulative messages can aid in designing socio-technical and psychological interventions tailored to individuals’ cognitive and emotional tendencies.