Doctoral Dissertation Research: Assessing the Origins of Trust and Trustworthiness

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1303577 PI: Edgar Kiser Co-PI: Blaine Robbins University of Washington Trust is central to the development and growth of social and economic exchange. The goals of this dissertation project are to identify factors that promote trust, to understand the situational features that enable trust formation, and to pinpoint the dispositional sources of trust. Given the widespread interest in trust across the social sciences, this project will test theoretical propositions found in sociology, political science, economics, social psychology, and philosophy. To accomplish this, the investigators will administer a web-based survey consisting of two hypothetical scenarios - a "car repair" scenario and "group project" scenario - to a large subject pool of online participants. This will be used to measure characteristics of trust and trustworthiness experienced by the participants. With this integrative approach, the investigators hope to construct a more comprehensive framework for the study of trust that resolves interdisciplinary debates about its conceptualization and operationalization. Broader Impacts: With globalization and cosmopolitanism continuing to increase, understanding the sources of trust is an enduring issue for social scientists. If successful, results might inform policymakers of the socio-demographic factors that promote not only trust, but also social relationships, economic transactions, and civil society among diverse populations. Furthermore, examining how trust forms under market and non-market conditions has applied implications for both economic growth and business administration. This research also has a significant education component, leading to the training of a graduate student who will eventually mentor and teach future students multifactorial vignette designs. Finally, the research involves modifications to a widely used open-source software program for web-based surveys, modifications that will be made freely available to interested researchers.