Leiden University Student Repository

Altewischer, Max (2022)

Trust, Information Asymmetry and Unexpected Outcomes

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

In the current study, we used a modified version of the trust game paradigm to measure the behavioural decisions of trust in an economic setting. In our study, we changed the conditions of the original trust game by adding unexpected outcomes and information (a)symmetry to more closely examine which factors may play a role in the (no) trust decisions of person A. Results of our online study (N = 150) strongly indicate that person’s A willingness to trust is higher when there is information symmetry (both persons have the same information) as compared to information asymmetry (only one of the persons has information about the exact outcome). Also, person A’s willingness to trust is higher when there are no unexpected outcomes as compared to when unexpected outcomes are present. Finally, both trust and uncertainty turned out to be the main (self-reported) drivers of person A (not) to trust person B in the trust game.

Trust

Trust game

Information asymmetry

Unexpected outcomes

Author

Altewischer, Max

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Economic and Consumer Psychology

Supervisors

Schutter, M.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en