louis fitzgerald
Informed consent is the bedrock of ethical research. Despite the growing importance of data and the ongoing commodification of our data by businesses, there exists a “privacy paradox”, which states that people express concerns about privacy, yet rarely protect their data.
This study used eye tracking data to examine how people engage with academic study information sheets and consent forms, examining if privacy concerns, privacy fatigue, age, and cookie-selection behaviour influence where and how long they look.
Results show that despite people having high privacy concerns, there is no correlation in how they read the consent forms. This shows the presence of the privacy paradox and highlights issues in gaining true informed consent.
Privacy behaviour is a complex and multifaceted behaviour. Research shows it is influenced by many factors, most importantly privacy concerns, demographics, and trust. Despite these factors, there exists a paradox. The “privacy paradox” refers to the disconnect between an individual's disposition towards privacy and their actual privacy behaviour.
Most research on the privacy paradox focuses on marketing and ecommerce or social media often examining phone or web based experiences typically using qualitative approach and self report data into how an user reads items of services or discloses information. However no research has before this examined the paradox in an academic setting.
Informed consent is the bedrock of ethical research. A conservative estimate puts the number of consent forms used in IADT each year at 4,500. Given this scale it is highly important that we understand how participants read and interact with the information sheet and consent forms to allow strenthen the informed consent process
In order to strengthen previous research this study used deception to reduce the hawthorne effect , which states that if participants know what they are being studied for, they may change their behaviour. Participants were told the study was examining how they played the puzzle game Worlde however an eye tracker was used to monitor how they read the information sheet and consent form. This deception allowed the researcher to examine behaviour in a real lab setting.
The study examined whether Privacy concerns scales (Collection, Control, Awareness), Privacy Fatigue scales (Emotional exhaustion, Cynicism ), Cookie selection (accept , reject , preferences) correlated with participants' reading duration of the information sheet and consent forms. Results show that none of these factors correlated with reading duration. Participants reported high privacy concerns and privacy fatigue, yet this had no impact on how they read the information sheet and consent forms.
114 participants were recruited from IADT. When examining their data, it was found that participants only spent 47 seconds reading the information sheet, and this data was highly skewed, with very few spending more time reading the forms. The results also note a decrease in duration as they progressed from page to page; both of these results indicate a lack of reading of the information sheet. While the study examined eye tracking to provide quantitative data that previous literature lacked, it fails to account for comprehension, instead examining scan paths which may represent skimming and not true reading.
These results show the presence of the privacy paradox in an academic research setting, supporting the theory that privacy behaviour is based on habits and mental shortcuts rather than a rational risk assessment. The findings highlight participants' lack of reading information sheets and the issues around gaining true informed consent.
Hi, I'm Louis Fitzgerald, a final year Applied Psychology student. The past four years at IADT have equipped me with strong skills in research design and data analysis. I have a strong interest in the interaction between scientific research, technology, and human behaviour. Alongside conducting research, I love presenting and sharing my findings, a strength recognised at the All-Ireland Student Psychology Congress, where I received the Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation.
Driven by a love of learning, I also completed a night-time Level 8 certificate degree in Sport and Performance Psychology during my second year. These learnings help support my role as a swim coach, working to support and develop young athletes and para-swimmers.
