Behavioral economists have come to recognize that reciprocity, the interaction of trust and trustworthiness, is a distinct and economically relevant component of individual preferences alongside selfishness and altruism. This recognition is principally due to observed decisions in laboratory “trust games”. However, recent research suggests that altruism may explain much of what “looks like” tru...

This study examines three trust-building processes (relational, calculative, and institutional) that shapes individual trust in online firms and compares how the effects of these processes change over time as users gain experience with the target firms. It hypothesizes three alternative belief structures resulting from the above processes as determinants of trust, theorizes how their effects on...

This research proposes a new multi-dimension trust model and develops a typology of antecedents to trust in the context of high domain complexity. Using open-ended questions, we explore what users think would create, promote or manage trust. We argue that trust affects individuals’ intention to use tax preparation software and electronic tax filing. This is an interesting research setting becau...

This paper provides evidence about the determinants of trust and reciprocal inclinations, that is, a tendency for people to respond in kind to hostile or kind actions, in a representative setting. We investigate the prevalence of reciprocity in the population, the correlation between trust and positive and negative reciprocal inclinations within person, the individual determinants of reciprocit...

A multiagent connectionist model is proposed that consists of a collection of individual recurrent networks that communicate with each other and, as such, is a network of networks. The individual recurrent networks simulate the process of information uptake, integration, and memorization within individual agents, and the communication of beliefs and opinions between agents is propagated along c...

This study investigates the development of trust in a Web-based vendor during two stages of a consumer’s Web experience: exploration and commitment. Through an experimental design, the study tests the effects of third party endorsements, reputation, and individual differences on trust in the vendor during these two stages.

We introduce the notion of a network of trust and distrust relations between individuals and take an argumentation approach to the assessment of whether one individual should trust another. . . . good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers” Plato Early Dialogues Laches

In the analysis of trust, we are inevitably drawn to the complex two-way interrelationships between it, the economic and political fabric of society, and the individuals who constitute that society. On the one hand we may be concerned with its role in the creation of that fabric and its psychological impact on the individual, and on the other we may be concerned with how that fabric and the pro...

Past research on the associations between area-level/contextual social capital and health has produced conflicting evidence. However, interpreting this rapidly growing literature is difficult because estimates using conventional regression are prone to major sources of bias including residual confounding and reverse causation. Instrumental variable (IV) analysis can reduce such bias. Using data...