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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 13, 2025

The Collective Trust Game: An Online Group Adaptation of the Trust Game Based on the HoneyComb Paradigm

The Collective Trust Game: An Online Group Adaptation of the Trust Game Based on the HoneyComb Paradigm

Published on: October 20, 2022

Trust in close relationships revisited.

Omar J Camanto¹, Lorne Campbell¹

¹University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

|August 4, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study reframes trust in romantic relationships as a construction process. Key factors like predictability, dependability, and faith remain consistent across relationship stages, with minor differences observed.

Keywords:

Trust bifactor modeling invariance testing measurement romantic relationships

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Last Updated: Sep 13, 2025

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Published on: September 16, 2015

Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Relationship Science

Background:

Trust is a foundational concept in relationship studies, often used as a proxy for relationship quality.
Existing research frequently treats trust as a means to an end, rather than a primary focus of investigation.
A deeper understanding of trust's nature and development within romantic relationships is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the construct of trust in romantic relationships, reframing its development as a process of construction.
To identify and validate key factors contributing to the development of trust.
To investigate whether trust conceptualizations differ between newly-formed and long-term romantic relationships.

Main Methods:

Conducted two measurement-focused studies with large sample sizes (N=494 and N=847).
Utilized a refined assessment based on Rempel et al.'s (1985) framework for trust.
Employed measurement invariance techniques to compare trust constructs across relationship durations.

Main Results:

Identified three key factors of trust: Predictability (3 items), Dependability (4 items), and Faith (10 items), aligning with Rempel et al.'s (1985) model.
Found broad similarities in the construct of trust across both newly-formed and long-term relationships.
Observed granular differences in trust, suggesting potential evolution across relationship development stages.

Conclusions:

Trust in romantic relationships can be understood as a constructed entity with consistent core components.
While the fundamental nature of trust remains stable, subtle shifts may occur as relationships mature.
This research provides a refined framework for measuring and understanding trust's role in relationship dynamics.