Chapter 9 - The Effect of Perceived Trustworthiness on Affect in Negotiated and Reciprocal Exchange

Abstract

The clear link between perceived trustworthiness in the different exchange settings and affect toward one's partners provides the belief that in the collection of more systematic data on emotions, these two variables would be significant determinants of the extent to which positive as compared with negative emotions emerge in these exchange settings. This chapter investigates the link between perceived trustworthiness and affect toward one's exchange partner(s) in negotiated and reciprocal exchange, types of exchange that vary in the nature of the uncertainty involved in completing an exchange. The more cooperative an exchange partner is in either type of exchange, the higher is the perceived trustworthiness of that exchange partner and the more positive the affect toward the partner. In addition, cooperative behavior has greater impact on perceived trustworthiness when uncertainty is high since such behavior more clearly signals trustworthiness. One hundred and fifty subjects participated in five experimental conditions in which they interacted with simulated partners who were either more or less cooperative. The level of simulated partner cooperation and type of exchange were varied. Results indicate a clear effect of uncertainty on perceived trustworthiness, which is related to positive affect, especially when the available partners are highly cooperative. Low rates of cooperation have the expected negative effect on perceived trustworthiness and affect.