Shannon Scielzo

Untangling Protégé Self-Reports of Mentoring Functions Further Meta-Analytic Understanding

In the current study, we sought to further our understanding of the relations between various types of protégé-reported mentoring functions (psychosocial and career support and role modeling [RM]) by conducting a meta-analysis. We examined the relationships among these functions and investigated their relationships with expected mentorship outcomes. There is still a great deal left for us to understand regarding how these functions relate to outcomes and what these relationships mean. We expanded upon previous meta-analyses in the following ways: We included RM functions in addition to psychosocial and career support functions, corrected for unreliability of the function scales in addition to sampling error, and examined the relations of these functions with one another. Results show that all the mentoring functions were related to outcomes, with RM being the strongest predictor. Finally, we identified and conceptually analyzed numerous moderators of these relations.

A study of user password strategy for multiple accounts

Despite advances in biometrics and other technologies, passwords remain the most commonly used means of authentication in computer systems. Users maintain different security levels for different passwords. In this study, we examine the degree of similarity among passwords of different security levels of a user. We conducted a laboratory experiment with 80 students from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). We asked the subjects to construct new passwords for websites of different security levels. We collected the lower-level passwords (e.g., passwords for online news sites) constructed by the subjects, combined them with a comprehensive wordlist, and performed dictionary attacks on their constructed passwords from the higher-level sites (e.g., banking websites). We could successfully crack almost one-third of their constructed passwords from the higher-level sites with this method. This suggests that, if a users lower-level password is leaked, it can be used effectively by an attacker to crack some of the users higher-level passwords.

Towards Making Random Passwords Memorable: Leveraging Users' Cognitive Ability Through Multiple Cues

Given the choice, users produce passwords reflecting common strategies and patterns that ease recall but offer uncertain and often weak security. System-assigned passwords provide measurable security but suffer from poor memorability. To address this usability-security tension, we argue that systems should assign random passwords but also help with memorization and recall. We investigate the feasibility of this approach with CuedR, a novel cued-recognition authentication scheme that provides users with multiple cues (visual, verbal, and spatial) and lets them choose the cues that best fit their learning process for later recognition of system-assigned keywords. In our lab study, all 37 of our participants could log in within three attempts one week after registration (mean login time: 38.0 seconds). A pilot study on using multiple CuedR passwords also showed 100% recall within three attempts. Based on our results, we suggest appropriate applications for CuedR, such as financial and e-commerce accounts.

Hierarchy of users' web passwords: Perceptions, practices and susceptibilities

Abstract In this study, we propose a hierarchy of password importance, and we use an experiment to examine the degree of similarity between passwords for lower-level (e.g. news portal) and higher-level (e.g. banking) websites in this hierarchy. We asked subjects to construct passwords for websites at both levels. Leveraging the lower-level passwords along with a dictionary attack, we successfully cracked almost one-third of the subjects׳ higher-level passwords. In a survey, subjects reported frequently reusing higher-level passwords, with or without modifications, as well as using a similar process to construct both levels of passwords. We thus conclude that unsafely shared or leaked lower-level passwords can be used by attackers to crack higher-level passwords.

Passwords and interfaces: towards creating stronger passwords by using mobile phone handsets

Entering a password on a mobile phone requires more effort than entering it on a PC keyboard, especially when using capital letters, digits, and special characters that are considered important for strong passwords. In this study, we examine how these factors affect the construction of passwords on input-constrained devices such as mobile phones. We conducted a between-group experiment with 72 students from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), in which we asked the participants to construct new passwords using PC keyboards and mobile phones with different keypad layouts. Passwords constructed by using PC keyboards were stronger than those constructed by touchscreen keypads. Surprisingly, passwords that were constructed by mobile phones with physical keyboards were stronger than those constructed by PC keyboards. We also designed a custom layout for the touchscreen keypad that offers a more convenient method of typing digits and some special characters. Our results show that this custom layout helped the participants to construct stronger passwords on mobile phones. To address an alternative explanation for better performance of the physical keyboard and custom layout groups, we designed a second experiment by removing the potential bias effects of the first experiment. The results of this within-group experiment confirm that if users are presented with a more convenient method of entering digits and special characters on mobile handsets, they take advantage of it to construct stronger passwords. The results also supplement our finding regarding password construction and user engagement from the first experiment and highlight an important design consideration about password construction pages for mobile versions of websites.

Leveraging Real-Life Facts to Make Random Passwords More Memorable

User-chosen passwords fail to provide adequate security. System-assigned random passwords are more secure but suffer from memorability problems. We argue that the system should remove this burden from users by assisting with the memorization of randomly assigned passwords. To meet this need, we aim to apply the scientific understanding of long-term memory. In particular, we examine the efficacy of augmenting a system-assigned password scheme based on textual recognition by providing users with verbal cues—real-life facts corresponding to the assigned keywords. In addition, we explore the usability gain of including images related to the keywords along with the verbal cues. We conducted a multi-session in-lab user study with 52 participants, where each participant was assigned three different passwords, each representing one study condition. Our results show that the textual recognition-based scheme offering verbal cues had a significantly higher login success rate (94 %) as compared to the control condition, i.e., textual recognition without verbal cues (61 %). The comparison between textual and graphical recognition reveals that when users were provided with verbal cues, adding images did not significantly improve the login success rate, but it did lead to faster recognition of the assigned keywords. We believe that our findings make an important contribution to understanding the extent to which different types of cues impact the usability of system-assigned passwords.

Preparatory Training, States of Goal Orientation, and Mentoring Relationship Effectiveness

We used an online academic-advising program to examine the effects of preparatory training designed to elicit high states of learning-goal orientation and low states of avoid goal orientation. Results indicate that training was effective in some cases for manipulating states of goal orientation. The training did not directly affect behaviors as anticipated; however, perceptions of partner behaviors showed effects. Moreover, learning-goal orientation was related to advisee postprogram academic self-efficacy. Thus, individuals working with such mentoring programs should consider implementing goal-oriented preparatory training programs to increase mentoring relationship effectiveness.