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Smiling and first impressions in ad hoc entrustment decisions: An avatar-based simulation study.
Moritz Bauermann1, Ann-Kathrin Schindler1, Marco Kuchenbaur1
1University of Augsburg, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Didactics and Education Research Augsburg (DEMEDA), Augsburg, Germany.
GMS Journal for Medical Education
|March 2, 2026
Summary
Trustworthiness positively correlates with entrustment decisions in medical scenarios. However, smiling versus neutral facial expressions did not significantly impact medical students' entrustment or trustworthiness perceptions in this pilot study.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- First impressions and non-verbal cues are crucial in medical entrustment decisions.
- Understanding factors influencing trust is vital for patient safety and effective clinical training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of neutral and smiling facial expressions on ad hoc entrustment and perceived trustworthiness in medical scenarios.
- To test hypotheses regarding the correlation between trustworthiness and entrustment, and the impact of facial expressions on these decisions.
Main Methods:
- An online pilot study involving 268 medical students evaluating 36 clinical entrustment situations.
- Participants assessed entrustment decisions and perceived trustworthiness of avatars with neutral or Duchenne smile (DS) expressions.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between perceived trustworthiness and entrustment decisions.
- No significant differences in entrustment decisions or trustworthiness ratings were observed between avatars with Duchenne smiles and neutral expressions.
Conclusions:
- Trustworthiness is a key prerequisite for entrustment decisions in medical contexts.
- Facial expressions (smiling vs. neutral) did not significantly alter medical students' ad hoc entrustment decisions, suggesting other factors like context may be more influential.
Keywords:
Duchenne smileavatarsentrustable professional activitiesentrustmentfirst impressionmedical educationnon-verbal expressionstrustMore Related Videos
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