There is an ongoing debate about whether and how to communicate the epistemic uncertainty of scientific findings. In this debate, skeptics that shy away from communicating uncertainty measures of...Show moreThere is an ongoing debate about whether and how to communicate the epistemic uncertainty of scientific findings. In this debate, skeptics that shy away from communicating uncertainty measures of their work, commonly name loss of trust in scientists and the information they produce as important arguments. Efforts to provide clarity in this discussion, generated insight on many aspects of epistemic uncertainty but the effect of different magnitudes, or sizes of epistemic uncertainty has rarely been the subject of studies. To collect evidence on the nature of the relationship between different magnitudes of communicated uncertainty in science and the trust scientific laymen have in the source of information, this study presents respondents to a survey (N = 235) with one of three magnitudes of uncertainty (no uncertainty, low uncertainty, or high uncertainty) across three different formats (verbal, numerical, and visual) and measures their trust in the source of information. No association was found between magnitude and trust in the source. Furthermore, exploration of the data revealed no interaction between the format and the magnitude of epistemic uncertainty on trust in the source. This study’s limitations in representability and validity restrict strong conclusions. Future research should ensure that participants comprehend what high or low magnitudes of uncertainty are in the context of scientific findings, so participants’ comprehension of the magnitudes is increased and hence also the meaningfulness of judgments they make based on them.Show less
In order to achieve integrity and trustworthiness of research, uncertainty of information needs to be communicated with the public. However, it is not always clear what types of data representation...Show moreIn order to achieve integrity and trustworthiness of research, uncertainty of information needs to be communicated with the public. However, it is not always clear what types of data representation induce the most trust and which individual variables influence this. Previous studies have shown that there are trust differences between numerical and verbal representations as well as different uncertainty levels. Other research suggests that education level may be related to trust while research on numeracy and graphical literacy (GL) implies a potential relationship. Numeracy and GL have been reported to have a moderate correlation. Furthermore, trust is theorized to subsist of the related but distinct concepts of trust in number (TN) and trust in source (TS). To investigate these topics, participants were invited to a questionnaire study presenting an uncertainty scenario and assessing their trust as well as individual variables of numeracy, GL and education. Factors of different uncertainty levels, formats and education levels were used to create nine conditions that assessed whether the factors influenced trust. Results showed a small positive correlation between GL and numeracy. A positive moderate relationship was found between TN and TS. Moreover, results displayed a significant difference in TN between verbal and graphical uncertainty communication. Lastly, education was highlighted as a possible predictor of TN. Findings highlight education as a variable related to TN and strengthen the position that trust should be subdivided into TN and TS. Because of theoretical inconsistencies in our findings, more research has to be done on the effect of uncertainty level, format and education level in uncertainty communication.Show less
The first self-driving taxi was launched in 2016 in Singapore. Since then, more cities around the world have introduced automated taxis. Past studies have identified trust as an important component...Show moreThe first self-driving taxi was launched in 2016 in Singapore. Since then, more cities around the world have introduced automated taxis. Past studies have identified trust as an important component to ensure users' safety when interacting with automated vehicles and benefitting from the available technology. Nonetheless, automated systems are not failure-proof and can result in fatal accidents. The concept of trust in automation is related to interpersonal trust: A trustor puts themselves at risk by expecting a certain outcome. Therefore, we conducted a driving simulator study at Leiden University to investigate the development of trust in automation compared to interpersonal trust after experiencing a system malfunction. We tested 41 participants and divided them into two groups. Participants were either passengers in a conventional taxi or in an automated vehicle. During the simulated drive, participants rated their trust verbally on a 7-point Likert scale. Additionally, trust in automation or a taxi driver was assessed through a questionnaire before and after the experiment. Our results showed that the development of trust did not differ between the groups during the drive. We observed a temporary decrease in trust after the taxi ran a red light, but trust recovered at the end of the drive. Trust in a human driver was higher than in a self-driving car before the simulation but did not differ anymore at the end of the experiment. This suggests that trust in automation develops the same as interpersonal trust after experiencing a dangerous situation.Show less
Since the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its increased use in the public sector, there has been a two-fold debate in practice and academia about the relationship between transparency and...Show moreSince the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its increased use in the public sector, there has been a two-fold debate in practice and academia about the relationship between transparency and trust. On the one hand, transparency can create an open government culture and improve trust; on the other hand, transparency confuses citizens and leads to delegitimization of government. This research contributes to the debate by examining the effect of algorithmic decision-making transparency on institutional trust and procedural fairness's role in this relationship through a quantitative vignette study focusing on enforcing parking fines. The study distinguishes itself from others by measuring institutional trust by three dimensions (competence, benevolence, and honesty) and transparency by two dimensions (accessibility and explainability). The results reveal that: (1) accessibility increases institutional trust and trust in the competence and benevolence of the institution; (2) explainability increases institutional trust and trust in the competence of the institution; (3) procedural fairness negatively affects the relationship between accessibility and institutional trust and between accessibility and trust in the competence of the institution; (3) procedural fairness positively affects the relationship between explainability and trust in the benevolence of the institution. These results imply that institutional trust is multidimensional and can be influenced differently but that access and explainability of decision-making increase trust. Furthermore, local governments can make greater use of the Dutch algorithm registry to provide citizens with access and explanations of decision-making to enhance trust in the institution.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
closed access
Given the practical importance of interpersonal trust in negotiations, scholars have increasingly given attention to the mechanism underlying the effect of trust and possible strategies, such as...Show moreGiven the practical importance of interpersonal trust in negotiations, scholars have increasingly given attention to the mechanism underlying the effect of trust and possible strategies, such as mediation, to handle low trust negotiations. However, research with direct mediator interventions in experimental settings has been rare. We sought to validate previous survey research on the effects of trust and a third-party mediator on negotiation outcomes, negotiator mindset, and perceptions of the negotiation. In our study we looked at the effects of a low trust or a high trust condition on dyadic level, as well as looking at the effect of the presence or absence of a mediator on how dyads negotiated. 38 participants, primarily female students from Leiden University, negotiated in a role-play scenario in a dispute as either a bar owner or a customer. Primary analyses showed no effects for trust on negotiation outcomes, mindset, or satisfaction. Due to severe limitations mediation was not analyzed. Exploratory findings showed that trust increased cooperative efforts and improved relationships, and that secondary agreements, agreements not on prices, were of importance in the negotiations. This study nuances the previously found effects of trust on negotiations and asks for more understanding of the underlying mechanisms and effects of trust.Show less
Populism has been on the rise across liberal democracies and has been closely linked with the ero-sion of democratic institutions and standards. However there have also been links made between...Show morePopulism has been on the rise across liberal democracies and has been closely linked with the ero-sion of democratic institutions and standards. However there have also been links made between populism’s effect on an individual’s trust in institutions. Considering the contemporary importance of international organisations and the rise of populism, we seek to understand the effect populism has on trust in international organisations. We make use of the European Values Study to our two hypotheses. We find that populists are predicted to have a lower degree of trust in the European Union and United Nations compared to non-populists. Moreover, we find that populists’ trust in international organisations is expected to increase when a populist party is in government, compared to only being in opposition. Our findings suggest that populism poses a challenge to the continued legitimacy of international governmental organisations, and policymakers should seek to continue fostering greater public confidence.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
under embargo until 2024-12-22
2024-12-22T00:00:00Z
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a disorder characterized by impairments in interpersonal functioning such as experiencing difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships. These impairments...Show moreSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) is a disorder characterized by impairments in interpersonal functioning such as experiencing difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships. These impairments have negative intrapersonal consequences for individuals with SAD on different levels such as the physiological, behavioral, and psychological level. A newer perspective on SAD has suggested that it also negatively impacts the interaction partner (i.e. interpersonal consequences of the disorder). According to this perspective, certain verbal and nonverbal behaviors and thought or feeling content of the healthy interaction partner are affected while interacting with an individual who have SAD. The current study investigated the intra- and interpersonal consequences of SAD on the physiological, behavioral, and psychological level during initial interactions. Participants played a dyadic trust game (23 same-gender dyads) while their electrodermal activity (EDA) was continuously measured and filled in self-report measures during and after the game. The dyads consisted either of one participant scoring high on social anxiety (SA) and one low on SA (i.e. SA dyads) or two participants scoring low on SA (i.e. control dyads). EDA was used as the measure on the physiological level, participants’ trust ratings were the measure on the behavioral level, and the discrepancy between self and partner reports on positive/negative personal attributes to explore cognitive biases was the measure on the psychological level. We expected to observe higher EDA synchrony, lower trust ratings, and higher discrepancy between self and partner reports in SA dyads compared to control dyads. Results showed no difference between dyads on all levels indicating that we were not able to observe the predicted effect of finding intra- and interpersonal consequences of SAD in SA dyads. The most important implication of the current study is that, it included three different levels of SAD, in contrast to earlier studies that mainly focused on one level. This provides a useful example for how future studies might be designed and conducted.Show less
Wind turbines are an effective source of energy for climate change mitigation. The placement of windmills is often challenged by residents in the local area. In a previous study, it was found that...Show moreWind turbines are an effective source of energy for climate change mitigation. The placement of windmills is often challenged by residents in the local area. In a previous study, it was found that given to local residents about the implementation of windmills in the local area could be an important factor in local wind turbine project acceptance, and that this relationship was mediated by perceived procedural fairness and trust in the wind turbine company. The focus of this experimental scenario study (N=679) is to replicate and build on this previous study. In the current study, participants were asked to empathize with the residents of a fictional town, where a wind farm would be located. Depending on the experimental group, voice expectations were manipulated by randomly assigning to three manipulation groups where they were told that it was common, uncommon that they would be given voice by the company and another group where no voice expectations were manipulated. Participants then either received an opportunity to voice their opinion or received no voice opportunity. In this study it was predicted and found that receiving voice compared to no voice would increase wind turbine project acceptance. It was also predicted and found that this relationship was sequentially mediated by perceived procedural fairness via perceived trust. And lastly, it was predicted that voice expectation served as a mediator between voice opportunity and acceptance. Both of these findings replicated previous research. No significant interaction effect of voice opportunity and voice expectations was found.Show less
Climate change is a growing problem and sustainable energy sources are necessary in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Wind energy is a common source of sustainable energy in the UK, but acceptance of...Show moreClimate change is a growing problem and sustainable energy sources are necessary in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Wind energy is a common source of sustainable energy in the UK, but acceptance of wind farm projects varies, which can lead to delay or cancellation of a project. Previous research found support for the hypothesis that acceptance of a wind farm project is higher when participants receive voice (compared to no voice), and that this relationship is mediated by perceived procedural fairness and trust in the project developer. The current study aimed to replicate and extend these results. It also tested whether expectations of voice opportunity moderate this relationship. Participants were told to imagine that they were a resident of Presford, where a company named UniWind was planning to build a wind park. We then systematically varied expectations (expectations manipulation: expecting voice vs. not expecting voice vs. control group) and whether or not participants received voice (voice manipulation: genuine voice vs. no voice). The study was an experimental scenario study with a 3 x 2 between-subjects design (n = 450; UK citizens). As predicted and replicating previous results, we found a significant main effect of voice opportunity on project acceptance, and this relationship was mediated by perceived procedural fairness and trust in the project developer. However, against what was predicted, no significant moderating effect of expectations was found. Implications and directions for future research were discussed, and the results illustrate the importance of a voice opportunity in the acceptance of wind farm projects. Several suggestions for future research were made.Show less
In a ‘post-truth’ society, many journalists have become afraid to communicate uncertainty about their information as they believe it to decrease public trust. Earlier research showed this was not...Show moreIn a ‘post-truth’ society, many journalists have become afraid to communicate uncertainty about their information as they believe it to decrease public trust. Earlier research showed this was not the case, but not enough attention was paid to the linguistic stimuli with which the uncertainty was communicated. Through a survey with five texts covering two contested topics, climate change and rising prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of expression length and frequency of verbal phrases of uncertainty were tested for their perceived uncertainty, reliability, trust in the information and trust in the authors. Results showed that the verbal expression of uncertainty, no matter the length or frequency, did not influence any of the four tested components. These results should reassure journalists that transparency does not negatively affect trust, and that they can safely communicate uncertainty about their information.Show less
Sinds 2002 is er sprake van een dalend vertrouwen in de overheid (Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau, 2015) en een mogelijke oorzaak hiervoor is de invloed van media, want deze spelen een belangrijke rol...Show moreSinds 2002 is er sprake van een dalend vertrouwen in de overheid (Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau, 2015) en een mogelijke oorzaak hiervoor is de invloed van media, want deze spelen een belangrijke rol in de informatie, beelden en oordelen die burgers ontvangen over de betrouwbaarheid van de overheid (Bovens & Wille, 2006). Er bestaan twee tegenstrijdige verklaringen over de gevolgen van mediagebruik op het vertrouwen in de overheid, namelijk de media malaise theorie die stelt dat mediagebruik een negatief effect heeft op het vertrouwen in de overheid en de mobilisatietheorie die stelt dat dat mediagebruik een positief effect heeft op het vertrouwen in de overheid (Van der Valk, 2007). Je kunt je afvragen of deze tweestrijd bestaat, omdat je “media” niet als eenduidige term kunt benaderen, omdat het een gedifferentieerd concept is. Dit onderzoek legt de nadruk op de verschillende vormen media, waarbij de eenduidige term wordt uitgesplitst in verschillende typen media, namelijk de krant, sociale media, televisie en radio. Er wordt een verwachting uitgesproken dat hoe meer iemand de politiek volgt via de krant, hoe meer vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er is een verwachting dat hoe meer iemand de politiek volgt via de televisie en sociale media, hoe minder vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er is geen verwachting over het media-type radio, omdat niet genoeg literatuur specifiek ingaat op de radio. Er wordt een ordinale regressieanalyse uitgevoerd middels de European Values Dataset (2020). In de ordinale regressieanalyse is te zien dat er een positief, statistisch significant verband bestaat tussen de mate waarin iemand de politiek volgt via de dagelijkse krant en het vertrouwen dat diegene in de overheid heeft (EVS, 2020). Dit betekent dat hoe vaker iemand de politiek volgt via de dagelijkse krant, hoe meer vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er is een negatief, niet statistisch significant verband tussen de mate waarin iemand de politiek volgt via de sociale media en het vertrouwen dat diegene heeft in de overheid (EVS, 2020). Dit betekent hoe vaker iemand de politiek volgt via de sociale media, hoe minder vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid, maar dit verband berust (waarschijnlijk) op toeval. Er is een positief, statistisch significant verband tussen de mate dat iemand de politiek via televisie en radio volgt en het vertrouwen dat diegene heeft in de overheid (EVS, 2020). Dit betekent dat hoe vaker iemand de politiek volgt via de televisie en radio, hoe meer vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er wordt uiteindelijk geconcludeerd dat de media-voorkeuren van burgers een rol spelen in het vertrouwen van burgers in de overheid, want drie van de vier hypothesen kunnen een statistisch significant verband aantonen (EVS, 2020).Show less
Electronic participation initiatives at the national and the EU-level have been consistently increasing in number and scope in the last two decades. Despite this trend, adoption of e-participation...Show moreElectronic participation initiatives at the national and the EU-level have been consistently increasing in number and scope in the last two decades. Despite this trend, adoption of e-participation tools by citizens remains low. By conducting an analysis of e-petitions to the European Parliament in the period from 2013 – 2019, this study examines whether more trust towards the EU leads to more EU-level e-participation. Although previous studies have shown a positive relationship between trust and e-participation at the local and national levels, this is the first study to examine whether the same relationship exists at the EU-level. The results from a multiple linear regression across 27 member states suggest that more trust towards the EU does not lead to more e-participation. This finding is a first step in uncovering the dynamics between trust and e-participation in the EU, which could have important policy implications for the design and deployment of e-participation initiatives in the future.Show less
‘Perceived psychological contract violation’ refers to the idea of members of organizations that the organization does not meet their expectations, and is predicted to have negative consequences...Show more‘Perceived psychological contract violation’ refers to the idea of members of organizations that the organization does not meet their expectations, and is predicted to have negative consequences for organizations. Accordingly, this study examined among financial donors of charitable organizations a) whether violation of the psychological contract undermines the willingness to donate money to the charitable organization, and b) the psychological processes that may make financial donors perceive a violation of the psychological contract. The research participants were members of the Amazon Mechanical Turk online platform who adopted the role of financial donor (n = 91). The research had a consecutive 1X2 experimental design. Specifically, the participants were first randomly allocated across the experimental condition about investment of the organization in helping its clientele and sustaining the relationship with donors (high/low). Thereafter, those participants who had been assigned to the ‘low investment condition’ were randomly allocated across an experimental condition about justification for the low investment (yes/no). As predicted, ANOVAs showed that financial donors who were presented information about low investment of the organization in helping its clientele and sustaining the relationship with donors reported the least perceived organizational reciprocity, integrity, and transparency. A second ANOVA indicated that for the participants allocated to the ‘low direct investment’-condition, the justification for the low investment did not influence perceived organizational reciprocity, integrity or transparency. Further, moderation regression analysis showed that the trust of financial donors in the charity does not weaken the negative effects of low investment on perceived organizational reciprocity, integrity or transparency. Finally, regression analyses showed that among financial donors, perceived non-reciprocity and non-integrity of the organization instill perceived psychological contract violation as a predictor of willingness to donate, negative word-of-mouth, and perceived organizational prestige. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for new research are discussed.Show less
Behavioral mimicry and pupil dilation have both been seen to have positive effects on liking and trust between people in social interactions. For people with social anxiety, however, this effect...Show moreBehavioral mimicry and pupil dilation have both been seen to have positive effects on liking and trust between people in social interactions. For people with social anxiety, however, this effect may be impaired due to their self-focused attention and fear of other’s judgments. We investigate the effects of pupil dilation mimicry on evaluation of and trust in virtual avatars in high and low socially anxious individuals. Participants interacted with six avatars who each told a story, during which the avatar’s pupil size was manipulated to dilate randomly or to mimic the participant’s pupil dilations. After each story, the participants answered questionnaires regarding liking and played an investment game to measure trust. Contrary to our predictions, the results yielded no between-group differences in the evaluation of- or trust in the avatars. The implications of this and the limitations to our study are discussed, and we offer recommendations for future research.Show less
Despite the fact that women’s representation in national parliaments and executives is increasing, female political representatives still constitute a minority, especially in high-level positions....Show moreDespite the fact that women’s representation in national parliaments and executives is increasing, female political representatives still constitute a minority, especially in high-level positions. The literature argues that gender stereotypes influence the perception of female political representatives who consequently face a disadvantage in politics. This thesis explores the factors that affect public opinion on female leadership in the European Union (EU). Using the Eurobarometer data on public opinion covering the 28 EU member states, I conduct a multiple linear regression analysis to investigate the effect of four individual level-factors (i.e., gender, age, education and profession), and three country-level factors (i.e., masculine culture, religion and communist legacy) on net female trust. The results suggest that female gender, education and masculine culture positively affect trust in female political representatives, while communist legacy produces a negative effect. Moreover, I discover that the EU public opinion favors female over male political representatives. Finally, by comparing the level of trust in female and male political representatives, I find that the great majority of respondents have egalitarian attitudes as they equally trust male and female leaders. These findings challenge the burgeoning literature on female leadership and have important implications for the study of public opinion, gender and political leadership in the EU.Show less
In deze scriptie wordt gekeken naar de manifestatie van het politiek vertrouwen in Chili tussen 1990-2010. Op basis van literatuuronderzoek worden er verbanden gelegd tussen vertrouwen,...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt gekeken naar de manifestatie van het politiek vertrouwen in Chili tussen 1990-2010. Op basis van literatuuronderzoek worden er verbanden gelegd tussen vertrouwen, legitimiteit en tevredenheid.Show less
Mimicry has been researched regarding how it relates to the emotional contagion and therefore how it leads to feelings of empathy in others. Autonomic mimicry leads to synchronized physiological...Show moreMimicry has been researched regarding how it relates to the emotional contagion and therefore how it leads to feelings of empathy in others. Autonomic mimicry leads to synchronized physiological processes between two individuals, supposedly to create a feeling of connectedness and trust. Blush is a rarely investigated part of autonomic mimicry, a kind of physiological mimicry in humans that is not consciously controlled. Blushing has been associated with trustworthiness, a fundamental component to establish empathy. Previous research has shown that individuals who blush are perceived as more trustworthy and following the research on the emotional contagion, blush mimicry should have a similar effect. This study investigated whether individuals mimic a blushing Virtual Character (VC) and whether mimicking blushing establishes feelings of trust for a VC. Trustworthiness is investigated using a trust game, blushing is measured with skin temperature. T-tests were used to investigated whether individuals mimic blushing expressions of the VC, which resulted in inconclusive findings. Linear regression analyses were used to predict trustworthiness from participants’ blush. Blushing mimicry did not increase investment in the trust game. This result indicates that the mimicry itself might not be the basis of feelings of trust in others, despite previous findings. Perceiving and mimicking blushing might provoke different reactions from different individuals. Additionally, blush is triggered by emotions like embarrassment and guilt in social situations, which could be distorted by using VCs. Limitations include the lacking social context with the VC, the neutral content of the stories, and the sample size. Future research should investigate responses of individuals to VCs and control for external factors of facial redness.Show less
The human eye, due to its unique morphology, is central for social interactions. Eye contact and mutual eye gaze are important to infer other’s emotions and to share experiences. In particular,...Show moreThe human eye, due to its unique morphology, is central for social interactions. Eye contact and mutual eye gaze are important to infer other’s emotions and to share experiences. In particular, pupillary changes, dilation and constriction, provide implicit cues to infer internal states of an interacting partner: when one experiences pleasant feelings, pupils dilate. Individuals with larger pupils are evaluated as more friendly, attractive, and trustworthy than those with smaller pupils. During human interactions changes in pupil diameter synchronize, a phenomenon called pupil mimicry. In particular, dilation mimicry correlates with increased perceived trustworthiness. Aim of the hereby research is to further investigate the relationship between pupil mimicry and trust. To do so, we conducted an experiment in which participants listened to a series of virtual characters narrating neutral stories while changes in there pupil diameter were recorded via an eye-tracker, allowing us to assess the presence of pupil mimicry by participants. A questionnaire after each interaction, in addition to an investment game were exploited to measure level of trust. A simple linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate whether pupil mimicry is a predictor for trust, selecting cases by neutral stories. Despite our predictions -based on previous studies-, results proved our hypothesis wrong showing non-significant results for three neutral stories. Results were significant concerning two stories but showing the opposite trend than the expected one. Within the discussion session, limitations of the study which might explain such results will be exposed.Show less
