Abstract
Across two studies we aimed to measure empirically the extent of non-readership of click-through agreements (CTAs), identify the dominant beliefs about CTAs contributing to non-readership, and experimentally manipulate these beliefs to decrease automatic non-reading behavior and enhance contract efficiency. In our initial questionnaire study (Study 1), as predicted, the vast majority of participants reported not reading CTAs and the most prevalent beliefs about CTAs contributing to non-readership included: they are too long and time-consuming, they are all the same, they give one no choice but to agree, they are irrelevant, and vendors are generally reputable. Manipulating these beliefs on a simulated music website (Study 2) revealed an increase in readership. In addition, CTA comprehension and CTA rejection rates were both increased significantly by manipulating the length of the CTA. These results demonstrate support for the influence of widely held beliefs about CTAs on contract readership, provide evidence against the common “limited cognition” perspective on non-readership, and suggest that presenting CTAs in a short, readable format can increase CTA readership and comprehension as well as shopping of CTA terms.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by a University of Georgia Research Foundation faculty grant to both authors. We thank Niki Schley, Kati Cooper, Robert Boone, Jessica Fowler, Bryan Williamson, and Jackie Simms for their research assistance, UGA’s CITP group for programming the PDM website, and Alem Tecle and Leslie Stone for assistance with manuscript preparation. This article also benefited from comments received from Rob MacCoun, Jeffrey Rachlinski, and participants in Berkeley’s Law and Economics Seminar, Cornell’s Law and Economics Colloquium, NYU’s Law and Economics Seminar, the Faculty Colloquium at University of Georgia School of Law, and the contracts section of the 2009 annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools.
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V. C. Plaut and R. P. Bartlett III contributed equally, order determined at random.
Appendices
Appendices
Appendix 1: PDM Registration Page
Appendix 2: Long and Short Forms of the CTA
Appendix 3: Modification Condition (for Short Form)
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Plaut, V.C., Bartlett, R.P. Blind Consent? A Social Psychological Investigation of Non-Readership of Click-Through Agreements. Law Hum Behav (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-011-9288-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-011-9288-y