A Negative Reputation Reduces Trust Despite Trustworthy Behavior

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Interpersonal trust is crucial for social interactions.
• Reputation significantly guides trust decisions.
• Integration of inconsistent reputational information remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how individuals integrate positive and negative prior reputations inconsistent with partner behavior.
• Examine the behavioral and neural underpinnings of these trust decisions.
• Assess the impact on daily trust interactions.

Main Methods:

• Two-part study involving 54 subjects.
• Iterated Trust Game with electroencephalography (EEG) recording.
• Ecological assessment of daily trust behaviors.

Main Results:

• Negative prior reputations led to fewer trust decisions, even when contradicted by cooperative behavior.
• Trust decisions decreased when positive reputations were contradicted.
• Negative priors correlated with lower trust probability and reduced fronto-lateral theta activity.
• Laboratory trust levels descriptively associated with daily trust levels.

Conclusions:

• Negative prior reputations exert a persistent influence on trust, overriding positive behavior.
• Individuals are less likely to trust those with negative reputations, irrespective of subsequent actions.
• Reputational information plays a critical role in shaping ongoing trust dynamics.