Prof. Eileen Chou of the Batten School recently conducted a study comparing the psychological impact of e-signatures to traditional signatures, finding that e-signatures are less effective in influencing honest behavior.
Chou’s results were published in multiple journals, including the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
The study consisted of several experiments designed to test the likelihood of a breach of an agreement signed by various types of e-signatures or by hand signature. It also examined perceptions of “social presence" — or the involvement of the signer — based on type of signature.
There was some good news for e-signature advocates, however — including data showing that there is no statistically significant difference between levels of lying with a hand signature and a signature by self-generated PIN.
For the most part, however, the results of the study demonstrated the downside of e-signatures, Chou said.
“My main take-away for the readers is that while e-signatures may objectively perform the same function as signing by hand, they do not exert the same symbolic weight in subsequent decision making,” Chou said.
The study’s results should not be read as advocating for a return solely to physical signatures, Chou said.
“Rather, it provides an evaluative perspective on e-signatures as a policy and practical practice,” she said.
In the digital age, convenience is a high priority. Her study shows just one way that the desire for fast-paced digital transactions may have societal implications, she said.
“This research serves as a cautionary tale of the price we might be paying for convenience,” Chou said.
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