Cognitive Variability Factors and Passphrase Selection

Security policies require a secret code to access electronic information. Challenges exist between the usability and memorability of passwords. This study spotlights individualistic behavioral assimilation of passphrase styles for design insight and recall abilities. Data captured categorical authentication behavior toward enhanced usability outcomes. Validated locus of control personality and memory associative instruments demonstrated the internal and external personality types and cognitive response types that contribute to the systematic quest toward a more memorable passphrase scheme. Personalized criteria contributed to practical evaluation employing a repeated measures structure. This study tested 58 participants who successfully completed a passphrase survey consisting of four rulesets applied to imposed and user created passphrases designed for repeated measures. Although electrophysiological data was collected, it was not analyzed in time for this publication. Results indicate that memory associative factors of cognition represent a significant factor in the recall of 75% of imposed passphrase category types. The locus of control and memory associative variables are significant at the .05 level. Internally controlled participants preferred the created room objects and created no vowel passphrases. Additionally, the created room objects and animal association passphrases ranked the highest among the externally controlled subjects. The imposed passphrases constructed without vowels and associated with animals received the least recall. This descriptive study informs passphrase usability identifying cognitive demands that impact memory.