Systematic Analysis of Individuals' Perspectives on Cybersecurity Using Q Methodology: Implications for Research and Application in Behavior Analysis

Emerging sociocultural challenges such as malicious cybersecurity attacks and the cyber-unsafe utilization of the internet across industries highlight ways analysis of consumer perspectives pertaining to products of behavioral systems (e.g., government, universities, and business) may inform interventions relating to secure cyberbehaviors. In this study, we conducted a systematic analysis of viewpoints for two groups of college students (computer science and psychology majors) on cybersecurity using a Q methodology approach. The analysis revealed three shared viewpoints. The first one highlighted the importance of facing the security of internet utilization at the level of the entire society, thus suggesting the supply of appropriate cyber training for any type of internet users. The second viewpoint communicated a shared concern for the inability of businesses and the U.S. government to protect the privacy of their users effectively. The third viewpoint, which was only communicated by the psychology major students, emphasized the risks of cyberspace but also expressed difficulties in meeting the requirements associated with users' safe access to the internet. These types of findings offer guidance for community leaders in making decisions about educational interventions, while accounting for the perspectives of potential recipients of educational services as part of addressing social validity concerns (see Baer et al. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,1(1), 91-97, 1968).