The impact of subliminal stimuli on interpersonal trust and team trust.

Abstract

Although numerous studies related to trust have emerged in recent decades, few studies have explored the impact of subliminal stimuli on trust from an unconscious perspective. This study investigated (a) whether subliminal stimuli could influence interpersonal trust and team trust and (b) whether subjective trust played a mediating role between subliminal stimuli and behavioral trust. It contained two experiments. In Experiment 1, a total of 72 participants took part in a single factor design and completed five tasks. In Experiment 2, a total of 98 participants participated in a single factor design and completed five tasks. Results indicated that subliminal stimuli had a significant impact on interpersonal trust and team trust. Subjective trust played a mediating role between subliminal stimuli and behavioral trust. The results suggest that subliminal priming techniques can influence interpersonal trust and team trust. These techniques first influence subjective trust and then further influence behavioral trust.