Outgroup Trust Research Articles

A Contingent Effect of Trust? Interpersonal Trust and Social Movement Participation in Political Context*

ObjectivePrevious studies on the relationship between interpersonal trust and social movement participation have largely focused on the simple link, without attention to the interaction between trust and aspects of the political context. This study investigates this contingent effect of two types of interpersonal trust (ingroup and outgroup trust) on social movement participation.MethodThe data are drawn from the World Values Survey 6th wave and country‐level Macro Indices from 41 countries. We use multilevel modeling (random coefficient model) to test the contingent effect of trust.ResultsThe results reveal a positive association between outgroup trust and protest participation, moderated by both functioning institutions and state repression. Meanwhile, ingroup trust is not significantly associated with protest participation.ConclusionThis contingent theory of trust could reconcile previous inconsistent empirical findings and explain why trust may have an insignificant or weaker effect on social movement participation in some contexts.

Right-wing Terrorism and Out-group Trust: The Anatomy of a Terrorist Backlash

ABSTRACT Terrorist attacks often lead to public backlashes. Following the attacks on July 22, 2011 in Norway, Norwegians showed support for democratic values such as “openness,” “democracy,” and “tolerance” in the public debate and in the commemorations across the country. They also reported higher out-group trust. This paper explores two possible reasons for this increase in trust using a unique panel fielded before and right after the attacks. The first is that cognitive dissonance led people to dissociate from the terrorist and his ideology. The second is that the increase in trust was a response to the public backlash after the attacks. The increase in trust was not caused by cognitive dissonance. Rather, people who were already positive towards immigration, or who saw positive effects of the attacks, became more trusting than others did, and Progress Party supporters increased their trust less than others. These findings are interpreted as a response to the attacks and the political characteristics of the backlash. The study concludes by discussing implications for our understanding of the different consequences of attacks for the terrorists’ imagined constituencies and for the broader public.

Contemporary parasite stress curvilinearly correlates with outgroup trust: Cross-country evidence from 2005 to 2014

Abstract General trust is trust extended to people from outside one's immediate social network. Two studies have tested a parasite stress explanation of general trust using cross-cultural data, showing a linear negative correlation between parasite stress and trust in people. However, recent studies suggest that 1) trust in most people as a measure of general trust confounds ingroup trust and outgroup trust in cross-cultural surveys and 2) parasite stress can curvilinearly correlate with variables of ingroup embeddedness and outgroup avoidance. Using data from the World Value Survey (WVS) Waves 5 and 6 ( N = 117,370 from 80 countries and geopolitical regions), we found no evidence that parasite stress—measured either as contemporary non-sexually-transmitted-disease (non-STD) stress or as historical pathogen prevalence—curvilinearly correlated with ingroup trust. However, parasite stress significantly curvilinearly correlated with outgroup trust, and the two-line test confirmed that the correlation was U-shaped. This research extends previous work on parasite stress and trust, informs the recent debate on whether parasite stress relates to outgroup avoidance, and suggests directions for developing the parasite stress theory of values and sociality.

With a little help from our friends: The impact of cross‐group friendship on acculturation preferences

AbstractDespite extensive research on intergroup contact and acculturation, our understanding of how contact affects receiving society members’ preferences for acculturation orientation of immigrants over time is still relatively rudimentary. This longitudinal study examined how perceived group similarity and outgroup trust mediate the effects of cross‐group friendship on acculturation preferences (culture maintenance and culture adoption) of the receiving society. It was predicted that cross‐group friendship would affect acculturation preferences over time, and that these relationships would be partly mediated by outgroup trust and perceived group similarity. A three‐wave full longitudinal sample (N = 467 Chilean school students) was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results confirmed that cross‐group friendship longitudinally predicted majority members’ support for the adoption of Chilean culture (via perceived group similarity) and Peruvian culture maintenance (via outgroup trust). Conceptual and practical implications are discussed.

The Diversity Challenge for High and Low Authoritarians: Multilevel and Longitudinal Effects Through Intergroup Contact and Threat.

The current studies integrate different frameworks on the positive and negative consequences of ethnic diversity for intergroup relations. Using a nationally stratified sample of Dutch majority members ( N = 680) from 50 cities in the Netherlands, Study 1 demonstrated that objective diversity was indirectly related to prejudice and to generalized, ingroup, and outgroup trust, through more positive and more negative contact. These indirect effects tended to be stronger for high versus low authoritarians. Furthermore, perceived diversity was indirectly related to less trust and greater prejudice, via more negative contact and threat. Again, these associations were more pronounced among high authoritarians. Study 2, using a representative sample of German majority members ( N = 412) nested within 237 districts, replicated the cross-sectional results regarding objective diversity and prejudice. In addition, longitudinal analyses indicated that objective diversity predicted more positive and more negative contact 2 years later, though only among moderate and high authoritarians.

The effect of behavioral synchrony with black or white virtual agents on outgroup trust

Trust toward outgroup members is generally lower than it is toward ingroup members. Behavioral synchrony with virtual outgroup characters has been identified as a means of improving attitudes toward racial outgroup members, but this effect has not been tested for outgroup trust. We tested the effect of synchrony with an ingroup/outgroup virtual agent on a behavioral measure of outgroup trust. An experiment used an online economic game to obtain pretest and posttest measures of trust. In between these measures, participants played a dance video game on Xbox Kinect. They were randomly assigned to either an ingroup or outgroup agent (black or white) partner. Game score served as a continuous measure of synchrony with the agent. Regression analysis revealed that agent race moderated synchrony's effect on change in outgroup trust. Increased synchrony with an outgroup agent led to increased outgroup trust. Conversely, increased synchrony with an ingroup agent led to decreased outgroup trust. Findings are discussed with respect to implications for using virtual interactions to build outgroup trust in the real world.

Intergroup Reconciliation between Flemings and Walloons: The Predictive Value of Cognitive Style, Authoritarian Ideology, and Intergroup Emotions.

Testifying to the gap in fundamental research on positive intergroup outcomes, we investigated reconciliation attitudes in a non-violent intergroup context (i.e., the linguistic conflict in Belgium). By incorporating both important predictors of negative outgroup attitudes (i.e., individual differences in rigid cognitive styles and authoritarian ideologies), and important predictors of reconciliation (i.e., intergroup emotions), we aimed to contribute to a more comprehensive theoretical framework for the analysis of intergroup relations. We recruited one Flemish (N = 310) and one Walloon (N = 365) undergraduate students sample to test the proposed model. Structural equation analyses with maximum likelihood estimation were conducted using the Lavaan package. In both samples, similar patterns were found. More in particular, the need for cognitive closure appeared to be the basic predictor of right-wing attitudes (i.e., right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) and essentialist thinking, which were then associated with less outgroup empathy and trust, and more outgroup anger. Furthermore, outgroup trust and empathy were positively related to reconciliation. Interestingly, some differences between the Flemish and Walloon sample were found, such as the direct effects of need for closure and social dominance orientation in the first sample, and the non-significant effects of essentialism in the latter sample. Considering the ongoing public and political debate about the linguistic conflict in Belgium, these findings shed a new light on how individual differences relate to specific outgroup emotions, and how these are associated with important intergroup outcomes in the face of intergroup conflict.

Prejudice in the wake of terrorism: The role of temporal distance, ideology, and intergroup emotions

The shootings at the Canadian Parliament on October 22, 2014 received international coverage and fueled concerns about terrorism and growing Islamoprejudice. In the wake of this event, our two studies (n=215, n=492) investigated objective temporal distance, right-wing ideology, and intergroup emotions as predictors of prejudice, outgroup trust, and the restriction of civil liberties. Objective temporal distance from the shootings was also examined as a moderator of the relations between ideology and intergroup emotions with intergroup attitudes. Results showed that greater endorsement of right-wing ideologies, higher intergroup anxiety, or higher intergroup disgust were associated with greater prejudice and lower outgroup trust. Of particular note, participants who completed the survey further from (vs. closer to) the event reported more positive intergroup attitudes and were less likely to endorse restricting civil liberties. Objective temporal distance also moderated some of the associations between intergroup emotions with intergroup attitudes. Implications are discussed.

The Efficacy of Community-Based Management Approach toward Strengthening Bridging Social Capital and Reducing Social Exclusion (Case Study: Rigan County, Kerman Province)

Extended abstract 1. INTRODUCTION Regarding the significance of social capital in reducing social exclusion, the present study investigates the impact of community-based approach for strengthening bridging social capital and reducing social exclusion through applying social network analysis pre and post RFLDL community-based project implementation. Accordingly, heads of micro development committees of four villages including Ziaratshah, Dehreza, Rostam Abad-e- Ali Charak, and Aliabad Hashtsad Metri were scrutinized. 2. METHODOLOGY Applying survey method and through direct observation and interview with target groups, the nodes of the network including the micro-development committee heads (as the main decision makers in each sub-group) were specified in each region. These individuals (33 persons) were elected by villagers in four villages, i.e., Ziaratshah, Dehreza, Rostam Abad-e- Ali Charak, and Aliabad Hashtsad Metri. Trust and participation ties of heads were examined for evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of this project aimed at investigating the bridging ties and measuring out-group social capital. The network analysis method used in this study was whole network method which scrutinizes all network members. Eventually, the gathered data were analyzed using UCINET software version 6.507. Indicators including density, reciprocity, transitivity of ties, and average geodesic distance were studied. 3. DISCUSSION It was found out that the level of density of trust and participation ties of heads of the four villages increased following project implementation. Enhancement of density leads to higher trust, participation, and social capital which in turn increases reciprocity of trust and participation ties following project implementation. Enhancement of this indicator makes the network of heads more optimally sustainable. The average geodesic distance of trust and participation ties in the four villages was 2.05 and 2.09, respectively. These reached to 1.61 and 1.67 following project implementation. As the average geodesic distance value was near to 1, it is inferred that the speed of information and resource transfer among members was high and it is also indicative of high unity. Once the project was accomplished, the level of this value was evaluated moderate. E-I indicator of out-group trust doubled in the four pilot villages and regarding participation indicator, it increased 1.5 times as much as pre-project implementation. This in turn contributes significantly to enhancement of bridging social capital and consequently reduction of social exclusion. It is argued that RFLDL project implementation in this village could have successfully led to trust building and provided favorable ground for participation and collaboration among heads of the rural development committees so that as more ties formed among members, bridging social capital also increased. Social capital can provide suitable condition for access to other human and financial resources and reduction of social exclusion. The level of institutionalization of traditions and local customs in one hand and sustainability and balance of network on the other hand was assessed moderately based on trust and participation ties. Strengthening of mutual relations for sustainability of network and improving social capital is therefore required. Fortunately, once project was through, it was revealed that this occurred at an optimum level. Regarding the significance of the speed of coordination in co-management process, reinforcement of trust and especially participation tie for boosting the speed of transfer, less average geodesic distance among individuals besides less time required for coordinating and uniting local beneficiaries are fundamentally important. Based on E-I indicator, it can be asserted that implementing local community's empowerment project (RFLDL) in four regions of Rigan District resulted in higher bridging social capital which in its turn reduced social exclusion. 4. CONCLUSION Through sociological perspective, enhancement of social participation as an integration-oriented policy will lead to less social exclusion. Since higher bridging social capital is followed by less social exclusion, it is argued that RFLDL project which increased out-group relations, lessened social exclusion in pilot areas. Considering the significance of bridging social capital for reducing exclusion, reinforcement of bridging ties within a network is critically essential and is the main communication channel of micro development committee heads in the four regions. Comparing the pre and post project implementation conditions, it can be asserted that this project fell effective in strengthening the relations between villages. Improved social capital led to better participation and communication of individuals with one another and exclusion reduced, accordingly.

Impact of pre-war and post-war intergroup contact on intergroup relations and mental health: Evidence from a Bosnian sample.

Using a sample of Bosnian adults (N = 381) we investigated the association between intergroup contact, measures of intergroup relations, and mental health. Structural equation models with latent variables showed that postwar contact had beneficial effects, being positively related to outgroup trust and intergroup forgiveness, and negatively associated with social distance. Moreover, postwar contact had indirect effects on reduced morbidity and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms via increased intergroup forgiveness and reduced social distance. We also analyzed the role of potential inhibitors and facilitators of the beneficial effects of postwar contact, and found that experience of violence played a detrimental role, while prewar contact was related to positive outcomes. Moderation analyses revealed the interactive effects of prewar and postwar contact, as positive effects of present-day contact on intergroup relations (promoting trust and reducing social distance) were strongest when prewar contact was high. Conversely, postwar contact was positively associated with outgroup trust only for respondents with low levels of experience of violence. Findings underline the value of promoting intergroup contact in postconflict settings.

Negative experiences and out-group trust: The formation of natives’ trust toward immigrants

The steady flow of immigrants from all over the world challenges the social cohesion of states in a variety of ways. Against this backdrop, we extend previous research on attitudes toward immigrants by evaluating the formation of trust toward this group. Using a representative sample of the Swiss population, our results indicate that the violation of trust by negative experiences in the workplace is associated with lower levels of trust toward immigrants accordingly. However, we show that the relationship between negative experiences and trust toward immigrants is more powerful among those individuals who place high levels of trust in their own national group than for individuals who do not even trust their fellow group members.

Think beyond contact: Reformulating imagined intergroup contact theory by adding friendship potential

Three experiments were conducted to test whether an imagined contact scenario with friendship potential would be more effective than the standard imagined contact scenario in changing Turkish participants’ attitudes and behaviors towards Syrian refugees. Experiment 1 ( N = 99) showed that adding a specific friendship indicator to the contact scenario (intimacy or interaction) increased the effectiveness of the typical positive contact strategy on outgroup trust. Experiment 2 ( N = 145) demonstrated that imagining a positive contact scenario which included both intimacy and interaction elements simultaneously was more effective than the standard imagined contact scenario in increasing outgroup trust and behavioral intentions. Experiment 3 ( N = 79) demonstrated that simply adding an explicit statement about the potential of forming a cross-group friendship improved the effectiveness of the imagined contact paradigm on attitudes, trust, behavioral intentions, and perceived threat. Theoretical and practical implications of findings for the development of imagined contact interventions are discussed.

Trusting outgroup, but not ingroup members, requires control: neural and behavioral evidence.

Trust and cooperation often break down across group boundaries, contributing to pernicious consequences, from polarized political structures to intractable conflict. As such, addressing such conflicts require first understanding why trust is reduced in intergroup settings. Here, we clarify the structure of intergroup trust using neuroscientific and behavioral methods. We found that trusting ingroup members produced activity in brain areas associated with reward, whereas trusting outgroup members produced activity in areas associated with top-down control. Behaviorally, time pressure—which reduces people’s ability to exert control—reduced individuals’ trust in outgroup, but not ingroup members. These data suggest that the exertion of control can help recover trust in intergroup settings, offering potential avenues for reducing intergroup failures in trust and the consequences of these failures.

Intended and actual use of civil dispute resolution in contemporary China

Along with economic reform, civil dispute resolution in China has developed into many channels. Utilizing representative data from a nationwide survey, this study examined which dispute resolution channels people actually used or intended to use and what factors were associated with their choices. The results showed that Chinese people responded to civil disputes in various ways, and the disparity between the intention and action was huge. Both the intended and actual use of the law varied based on gender and education. In addition, income, being farmers, dissatisfaction with justice, and out-group trust were related to intended use of civil dispute resolution.

The interplay between objective and subjective ethno-cultural diversity in predicting intergroup relations

ABSTRACTThis nation-wide probability sample survey study among Finnish majority group members (N = 335) focused on the interactive effects of objective and subjective ethno-cultural diversity on three indicators of intergroup relations: outgroup attitudes, perceived group and personal discrimination, and outgroup trust. Complementing previous research that has mostly examined a linear relationship between cultural diversity and intergroup relations, special attention was given to moderate diversity contexts, which are claimed to pose different challenges to intergroup dynamics than high- and low-diversity contexts. It was hypothesised that majority group members who live in contexts characterised by moderate levels of objective diversity but subjectively perceive high levels of diversity will report more negative outgroup attitudes, lower levels of outgroup trust and higher levels of discrimination, as compared to those living in low- or high-diversity contexts. The hypothesis was confirmed for perceived group discrimination and outgroup trust. The results highlight the need to acknowledge possible non-linear relationships between diversity and intergroup relations.

The dynamics of interminority extended contact: The role of affective and cognitive mediators.

Research on intergroup contact and prejudice reduction has dedicated little attention to relations between minority groups. We examined whether interminority extended contact, that is, the knowledge that a member of the minority ingroup has a friend from the minority outgroup, is associated with positive outgroup attitudes. Affective (outgroup empathy and outgroup trust) and cognitive (ingroup norm) mediators were considered. Two correlational studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 640, 50% female, mean age = 44 years) was conducted in Bulgaria among the Bulgarian Turkish and Roma ethnic minorities, while Study 2 (N = 458, 67% female, mean age = 44 years) was conducted in Finland among Estonian and Russian immigrants. Path analyses showed that, over and above the effects of direct contact between the minority groups, interminority extended contact was associated with positive outgroup attitudes in both intergroup settings. These effects occurred through empathy (Study 1), trust, and ingroup norms (Study 2). The 2 studies highlight interminority extended contact as a means to promote harmonious interminority relationships and suggest the implementation of interventions based on extended contact to reduce interminority prejudice and to foster solidarity among minorities. (PsycINFO Database Record

Global Virtual Team Performance: The Effect of Coordination Effectiveness, Trust, and Team Cohesion

Research problem: Subgroup formation in global virtual teams could negatively impact team performance due to difficulties in coordination, trust, and team cohesion. Research questions: What role do trust and team cohesion play in the relationship between coordination effectiveness and team performance of global virtual teams with two distinct subgroups? Literature review: Prior research suggests that coordination effectiveness on team performance is most strongly impacted by coordination of knowledge. This effectiveness is mediated by trust and team cohesion. However, we have a poor understanding of trust and team cohesion dynamics on intergroup relationships in global virtual teams. Methodology: A survey was conducted with 14 teams with a total of 112 participants in the US and India. The teams were tasked with evaluating customer-relationship-management best practices for a global environment. Results and discussion: We evaluated how the process of effective coordination for teams composed of two colocated subgroups is mediated by individual perceptions of out-group trust and overall team cohesion. Our findings show that individual trust and team cohesion share a reciprocal impact on each other, suggesting that effective coordination in virtual teams can create a positive feedback loop with trust and cohesion, improving overall project performance. Implications for theory and practice include the virtuous cycle that trust and cohesion create in global virtual team coordination and the necessity of establishing appropriate project coordination systems and processes to promote both aspects and, thus, achieve excellent project performance for colocated subgroups.

Building Trust in a Postconflict Society

Across one longitudinal and two cross-sectional surveys in Northern Ireland, we tested a model of intergroup relations in which out-group attitudes and behavioral tendencies are predicted by cross-group friendship and positive intergroup appraisals, mediated by intergroup emotions and out-group trust. In study 1, out-group friendship at time 1 predicted out-group trust at time 2 (one year later), controlling for prior out-group trust. In study 2, positive and negative intergroup emotions mediated the effects of friendship on positive and negative behavioral tendencies and attitudes. In study 3, a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that trust and emotions are distinct constructs with unique predictive contributions. We then tested a model in which cross-group friendship predicted intergroup emotions and trust through intimate self-disclosure in out-group friendships. Our findings support an integration of an intergroup emotions framework with research highlighting the importance of cross-group friendship in fostering positive intergroup outcomes.

Reducing Turkish Cypriot children’s prejudice toward Greek Cypriots: Vicarious and extended intergroup contact through storytelling

Two studies investigated the effectiveness of intergroup contact in Turkish Cypriot children with the aim of improving attitudes, intentions, and trust toward Greek Cypriots. In the first study, we found that positive contact and positive family storytelling were associated with more positive outgroup attitudes and intended outgroup behavior in a group of 6- to 12-year-old Turkish Cypriots. We followed this up in Study 2 by using a vicarious intergroup contact intervention technique. Turkish Cypriot children aged 6–11 years took part in a 3-week intervention involving reading stories of solidarity between Turkish and Greek Cypriot children. Results showed that the intervention worked to improve outgroup attitudes, intended behavior, and outgroup trust. These findings suggest that indirect contact techniques such as extended contact and vicarious intergroup contact can be used as prejudice-reduction tools in intractable conflict zones, most in need of such interventions.

Losing Wallets, Retaining Trust? The Relationship Between Ethnic Heterogeneity and Trusting Coethnic and Non-coethnic Neighbours and Non-neighbours to Return a Lost Wallet

The constrict claim that ethnic heterogeneity drives down social trust has been empirically tested across the globe. Meta-analyses suggest that neighbourhood ethnic heterogeneity generally undermines ties within the neighbourhood (such as trust in neighbours), but concurrently has an inconsistent or even positive effect on interethnic ties (such as outgroup trust). While the composition of the living environment thus often seems to matter, when and where remain unclear. We contribute to the literature by: (1) scrutinizing the extent to which ethnic heterogeneity drives down trust in coethnic neighbours, non-coethnic neighbours, unknown neighbours and unknown non-neighbours similarly; (2) comparing effects of heterogeneity aggregated to geographical areas that vary in scale and type of boundary; and (3) assessing whether the impact of heterogeneity of the local area depends on the wider geographic context. We test our hypotheses on the Religion in Dutch Society 2011–2012 dataset, supplemented with uniquely detailed GIS-data of Statistics Netherlands. Our dependent variables are four different so-called wallet-items, which we model through spatial and multilevel regression techniques. We demonstrate that both trust in non-coethnic and coethnic neighbours are lower in heterogeneous environments. Trust in people outside the neighbourhood is not affected by local heterogeneity. Measures of heterogeneity aggregated to relatively large scales, such as, administrative municipalities and egohoods with a 4000 m radius, demonstrate the strongest negative relationships with our trust indicators.