While consent banners and privacy policies invite users to read and choose, many choices are shaped by repeated, low-yield interaction routines rather than deliberation. This paper studies performative scrolling: slow, low-information interaction that can signal attention to consent without substantially improving understanding. We present the Performative Scrolling Index (PSI), a reproducible interface-audit metric for measuring pre-choice burden before a meaningful non-accepting alternative becomes visible and actionable. PSI decomposes burden into four observable components: distance, time, focus loops, and hidden reveals. In this paper, PSI is the primary burden metric, while companion signals such as AAI, CSI, and divergence are used as secondary interpretive audit aids rather than standalone validated scales. We also provide a least-effort audit protocol, design-side invariants, a worked example, and a medium-scale live deployment across desktop and mobile conditions under pointer and keyboard traversal policies. Together, these analyses show how structural choices such as offscreen alternatives, fragmented disclosure, and staged modal flows can increase pre-choice friction without improving meaningful control. PSI is not a measure of comprehension or legal sufficiency; rather, it is a diagnostic of interface-side burden intended to support reproducible audits and redesigns.

翻译：尽管同意横幅和隐私政策邀请用户阅读并做出选择，但许多选择是由重复、低效的交互流程而非深思熟虑所塑造的。本文研究表演性滚动：一种缓慢、低信息量的交互形式，它可能表现出对同意的关注，但并未显著提升理解。我们提出了表演性滚动指数（PSI），这是一种可复现的界面审计指标，用于衡量在可操作的明确拒绝选项出现之前用户需承担的决策前负担。PSI将负担分解为四个可观测的组成部分：距离、时间、聚焦循环和隐藏揭示。在本文中，PSI是主要负担指标，而AAI、CSI和差异度等伴随信号作为辅助解释性审计工具，而非独立的已验证量表。我们还提供了一种最低限度努力审计协议、设计侧不变性、一个实例分析，以及在指针和键盘遍历策略下跨桌面和移动条件的适度规模实时部署。这些分析共同表明，诸如屏幕外选项、碎片化披露和分阶段模态流程等结构性选择，可能在不增强实质控制的前提下增加决策前摩擦。PSI并非对理解程度或法律充分性的衡量，而是界面侧负担的诊断工具，旨在支持可复现的审计与重新设计。