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Distrusting minds, skeptical judgments? No evidence for a trust-truth link
Anna-Marie Bertram1, Fanny Lalot1, Lisa van der Werff2
1Center of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 16, 2025
Summary
This study found that trust propensity and social trust do not significantly influence truth judgments when information is limited. Contrary to common belief, these trust-related traits appear to play a minor role in decisions under uncertainty.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Individuals frequently make rapid truth judgments with limited information.
- Prior research focused on statement and source characteristics, neglecting stable individual traits.
- This study examines the influence of trust propensity and social trust on truth judgments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between trust propensity and social trust with truth judgments.
- To determine if individuals' general tendency to trust influences their assessment of information veracity.
- To explore these relationships across diverse social contexts.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted with a total of 679 participants.
- Trust propensity and social trust were measured as individual difference variables.
- Linear mixed-effects and Bayesian analyses were employed to assess relationships with truth judgments.
Main Results:
- Neither trust propensity nor social trust showed a significant relationship with truth judgments.
- Analyses across different social contexts yielded consistent null findings.
- Bayesian analyses strongly supported the null hypothesis, indicating no effect of trust traits.
Conclusions:
- Trust-related traits may have a limited impact on decision-making under uncertainty.
- Common-sense assumptions about trust influencing truth judgments were not supported.
- Future research should explore other factors influencing judgments of veracity.
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