Trust Formation Process Research Articles

Examining the impact of personalization and carefulness in AI-generated health advice: Trust, adoption, and insights in online healthcare consultations experiments

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, exemplified by health chatbots, are transforming the healthcare industry. Their widespread application has the potential to enhance decision-making efficiency, improve the quality of healthcare services, and reduce medical costs. While there is ongoing discussion about the opportunities and challenges brought by AI, more needs to be known about the public's attitude towards its use in the healthcare domain. Understanding public attitudes can help policymakers better grasp their needs and involve them in making decisions that benefit both technological development and social welfare. Therefore, this study presents evidence from two between-subjects experiments. This study aims to compare the public's adoption and trust levels in health advice provided by human vs. AI doctors and explore the potential effects of personalization and carefulness on the public's attitudes. Experimental designs adopt a trust-centered, cognitively and emotionally balanced perspective to study the public's intention to adopt AI. In Experiment 1, the experimental conditions involve the types of decision-makers providing online consultation advice, either AI or human doctors. In Experiment 2, the experimental conditions involve varying levels of perceived personalization and carefulness (high vs. low). A total of 734 participants took part in the study. They were randomly assigned to one of the intervention conditions and responded to manipulation checks after reading the materials. Using a seven-point Likert-type scale, participants rated their cognitive and emotional trust levels and intention to adopt the advice. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is conducted to estimate the proposed theoretical perspective. Qualitative interviews on both real-world and AI-generated treatment recommendations further enriched the understanding of public perceptions.The results show that AI-generated advice is generally slightly less trusted and adopted by the public. However, a noticeable inclination towards AI-generated advice emerges when AI demonstrates proficiency in understanding individuals' health conditions and providing empathetic consultations. Further analyses confirm the mediating influence of emotional trust between cognitive trust and adoption intention. These findings provide deeper insights into the process of adoption and trust formation. Moreover, they offer guidance to digital healthcare providers, empowering them with the knowledge to co-design AI implementation strategies that cater to the public's expectations.

The formation of parasocial relationships in tourism social media: A rational and emotional trust‐building process

AbstractThis study examines the effects of parasocial interactions on relationships and behavior in the context of tourism social media. Based on a dual process of trust formation, this study theorizes rational trust and emotional trust as part of a parasocial interaction process to explain the formation of this form of relationship. The study results (N = 424) reveal that information characteristics and influencer characteristics are identified as critical predictors of rational trust and emotional trust by the respondents. Furthermore, trust amplifies parasocial relationships as well as increasing consequent trust behaviors, such as information adoption and word of mouth. This study thus contributes to the literature by illuminating how the trust‐building process forms parasocial relationships. Meanwhile, it also provides insights into the mechanism of parasocial relationship formation for theoretical researchers and has important implications for tourism social media administrators.

The Model of Digital Trust Formation in Russia

The article is devoted to the study of the social aspects of digitalization associated with the interaction of political and public institutions, namely the process of forming digital trust. Based on the analysis of the historiography the main directions in the study of the multidimensional phenomenon of trust in digital reality are formulated. Based on the application of the modeling method, the author’s interpretation of the concept of digital trust formation in relation to the Russian political process is proposed. To analyze the process of digital trust formation, it is productive to use a neo- corporate model in which the dominant role is played by government institutions with the direct participation of business process actors or subjects. The corresponding approach allows us to build a model of digital trust formation in Russia. It is worth noting that in this case there is no correlation with the type of political regime in the state. The main driving force of digitalization in Russia and in other countries is the state represented by authorized institutions, and not the public.

Initial trust formation on shared autonomous vehicles: Exploring the effects of personality-, transfer- and performance-based stimuli

Building initial trust is critical for the acceptance of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). Initial trust determines whether this emerging mobility solution will be accepted when it is available in the market. This study examines the initial trust formation process in the context of SAVs using the elaboration likelihood model and trust transfer theory. It investigates the effects of different personality-based, transfer-based, and performance-based factors on initial trust and adoption intention. A structural equation modelling is conducted in Singapore based on valid survey design principles, sampling protocols, and data analysis procedures. Results show that among three trust-building paths, the performance-based factors which include SAV capability and interaction quality are the most important. The transfer-based (i.e., trust in shared mobility) and personality-based factor (i.e., trust propensity) rank second and third, respectively. Six moderators such as covid history and shared mobility experience are also tested to investigate significant differences in the results. Based on these findings, this study offers theoretical and policy implications for scholars and practitioners.

Influence of power imbalance and actual vulnerability on trust formation

PurposeLeveraging Emerson’s theory of power and motivated reasoning, this study aims to explore how the net power of an individual and actual, instead of perceived, vulnerability results in asymmetric trust and distrust development in a dyadic relationship.Design/methodology/approachBased on extant literature and gaps in the literature, this conceptual paper hypothesises and proposes trust formation based on power dynamics and vulnerability.FindingsThis research extends the knowledge base by exploring the role of actual vulnerability over perceived vulnerability in trust formation and distrust formation.Research limitations/implicationsThe research propositions imply that the dyadic trust formation process is not rational, and trust itself is not symmetrical but asymmetrical. The net power possessed by one individual over the other drives trust. Net power balance determines the actual vulnerability of the focal individual, and then the individual, through motivated reasoning, trusts or distrusts another individual. Scholars, going forward, could explore how trust formation varies at group and firm levels.Originality/valueExtant literature has not explored the role of power imbalance in determining actual (versus perceived) vulnerability that influences trust formation between parties. The conceptual paper fills this gap.

Toward the adoption of digital assistive technology: Factors affecting older people's initial trust formation

In recent decades, Europe has experienced a major societal challenge—the aging of the human population. The Finnish government has responded to this challenge by focusing on individually tailored services that enable older adults to live independently and comfortably at home for longer with the help of digital assistive technology. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study on how initial trust is formed with regard technology adoption by older people. Four bases of trust (personality, cognitive, calculative, and institutional) underpin the theoretical framework of the study. A qualitative research approach was adopted, utilizing individual and focus group interviews with older people living independently in urban and rural areas of South Finland. The findings derived from thematic analysis offer new insights into the complex and multidimensional process of older people's initial trust formation, which is affected by an interplay of 12 identified factors shaping the four bases of trust and four supplementary factors. These findings lead to propositions for future research.

Married at first sight: the process of trust formation throughout the venture capital process during the time of the COVID-19 crisis

ABSTRACT A high level of uncertainty accompanies investment decisions, hence, VCs attempt to reduce their risk through a thorough examination of potential investment cases. Especially during the seed and start-up phases of a new venture, when detailed reports and historical track records are still lacking, the investment manager’s trust in the entrepreneurial team has a major impact on investment decisions. To explore the process of trust formation, we conducted 11 semi-structured in-depth expert interviews with VC investment managers. Thereby, the COVID-19 crisis provided unique circumstances of exclusively digital communication and allowed us to develop a fine-grained understanding of trust within the VC context. Building on previous research about organizational trust and 674 interview minutes, we found that trustworthiness develops to trust over time as the vulnerability of both parties increases. Furthermore, our results reveal that the VCs’ perception of the founders’ trustworthiness is mainly influenced by examining the founders’ work environment, a founders’ reputation in the VCs’ network, and face-to-face communication. Such personal meetings allow VCs to assess founders, shape the investor’s gut feeling, and develop an interpersonal relationship as they allow for more room talking about personal information rather than business talk.

FORMATION OF TRUST IN THE FINANCIAL MARKET BY ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS

This article is a continuation of the study of the problem of trust in the financial market, raised in the article «Formation of trust in the financial market: to the theory of the issue», published in the journal «Problems of Economics and Legal Practice» No. 2, 2022. This article uses a dialectical approach to identify the essence of the phenomenon of trust in the financial market. The author analyzes the process of trust formation by economic and public institutions in the financial market and gives recommendations on the formation of trust in the Russian financial market, which would contribute to the development of the real sector of the economy of the Russian Federation.

Trust-formation processes in financial advisors: A structural equation model

This paper focuses on the investor-advisor relation, looking at financial advisory as a fiduciary service. Consistently with the economic literature on the Trust Game, we formalize trust between financial advisors and clients as driven by a combination of two traditional motives – a norm to trust and anticipated reciprocation. We use related literature and insights from the recently introduced European Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2 (MiFID 2) to define an original survey to estimate a structural equation model of trust formation, where trust and its two main motives are described as latent variables. Besides this methodological contribution, we test the validity of the hypothesized structural relation and explore whether specific features of financial advisors are likely to lead to different trust-formation processes. We find that the professional framing (tied versus bank advisors) and the maturity (new entrants versus incumbents) of financial advisors do indeed support different trust-formation processes. We conclude by exploring how these processes may be differently affected by the new regulation and discussing implications for the financial advisory industry.

The information trust formation process for informal caregivers of people with dementia: a qualitative study

PurposeThis paper provides new insights on trust formation during information-seeking processes of informal caregivers of people with dementia and identifies the sources of information deemed as trustworthy by caregivers.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a phenomenological qualitative approach in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 20 informal caregivers.FindingsCaregivers trust sources that are perceived as authoritative and particularly value the information and advice provided by other caregivers. Trust in information can be divided into subjective and objective, but both are important precursors to the actual use of the information. The information available to caregivers is sufficient in quantity but inadequate in terms of ease of use, clarity and usefulness. Often, some key information needs remain unsatisfied due to the lack of timeliness, relevance and personalisation of the information.Practical implicationsThis paper provides recommendations for information and healthcare providers on how to improve communication and information relevance for informal caregivers of people with dementia.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a more comprehensive perspective on caregivers’ information trust formation processes, which takes into account both the characteristics of the information and caregivers’ individual factors.

Psychological and neural mechanisms of trust formation: A perspective from computational modeling based on the decision of investor in the trust game

<p id="C2">Interpersonal trust has permeated all aspects of social exchange. It is the foundation of promoting and maintaining social corporation. Using the trust game paradigm, previous studies have investigated the theoretical models, biological bases and influential factors of interpersonal trust. In recent years, computational modeling has been increasingly applied to the research field of interpersonal trust. It enables researchers to explore the psychological mechanisms underlying interpersonal trust. Combining computational modeling with neuroimaging technology can deepen our understanding of the brain mechanisms of trust behaviors. The current application of the computational modeling to the trust game primarily aimed to answer the question of “how trust is formed”. Future researchers could further combine advanced computational modeling techniques with non-invasive brain stimulation technologies to uncover the unique process of trust formation among patients with mental disorders. By doing so, we hope to gain a better understanding about the differences in the psychological and neural mechanisms of trust formation between healthy population and patients with mental disorders.

Маркетинг довіри в мережі стейкхолдерів: механізм, джерела та процес формування довірчих взаємин

The presented publication is aimed at determining the mechanism and sources of formation of trust relationships in the stakeholder network and closer defining the content of the process of their formation. The article defines the most significant sources of formation and strengthening of trust relations at the microeconomic level, which are: openness and availability of information; solving social problems; ability of each participant in the relationship to express their interests and influence the decision-making; integrity, honesty and competence of managers; clear feedback; stability of contractual relations and partnerships; high reputation and developed organizational culture of companies. Trust in the stakeholder network has a mechanism of occurrence, which consists of an aggregate of trust states of participants in relationships and processes by which these states are formed in them. Determining the sources of trust and the mechanism of its occurrence in the stakeholder network gives grounds for the development and adjustment, if necessary, of the process of establishing and developing trust relationships between network members. The incentive, cognitive, instrumental, practical and final stages of the process of formation of trust relations in the stakeholder network are also allocated, which makes it possible to structure the process of trust formation in the system of relations between the company and stakeholders and harmonize it with the stakeholder analysis and management process.

Enhancing online business sector: digital trust formation process

The paper reviews Georgia's digital trust formation process and underlines the most important challenges for the online business sector. This research can be generalized for most developing countries where the digital transition process is on the agenda, especially for countries that have recently emerged from economic-political transition. Georgia has completed the transition from a centrally planned economic system (the heritage of being part of the Soviet Union) to a free market economy. Although trust in institutions is improving gradually, mistrust in business processes is still a great challenge for local business sectors. A wide-reaching lockdown caused by the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic pushed both firms and individuals further towards online activity worldwide. In this regard, trust has become the key determinant in facilitating electronic transactions. Technological advances are providing dozens of tools to improve customer satisfaction and trust, which should lead to customer loyalty. On the other hand, lack of digital skills and digital security problems raises digital untrust concerns. Therefore, trust research in the digital economy is becoming more actual for academic or business studies. Digital trust is a multidimensional factor that is under the influence of digital and physical operations. In Georgia, businesses have to overcome obstacles built-in people's minds as a heritage of the Soviet Union. Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union for 70 years, which critically degraded the trust of both formal and informal institutions. Therefore, building digital trust in business is getting more complex as it includes traditional trust problems and digital challenges too. The main research purpose in this paper is to present the digital trust forming process in Georgia to reveal the major problems. This study involved the trust stack model in analysing three different stages of trust formation in the Georgian digital economy (trust in the idea, trust in the platform, trust in the individual). The research identified challenges and steps which should be carried out soon. Research academic findings and methodological approaches can be used to analyze other developing countries whose economies are influenced by the digital transformation process.

Entrustment decisions and the clinical team: A case study of early clinical students.

Clinical learning contexts influence how medical students engage with entrustment decisions. However, it is unclear how students and health care team members perceive the entrustment decision process. This study explored which factors students and team members consider relevant to entrustment decisions in early clinical rotations. The authors conducted a case study at an academic teaching hospital, interviewing 28 medical students and four health care team members during the clerkship year. Within a social constructivist epistemology, we explored students' and health care team members' perceptions of ad hoc entrustment decisions using semi-structured interviews. Transcripts from the interviews and notes from feedback rounds with students were used for analysis. Medical students in their core clerkship year perceived clinical residents as critical educational gatekeepers and key facilitators of entrustment decisions. Another important theme emerged around students' motivation, initiative and willingness to engage with the health care team and patients. Students actively engaged in trust formation processes with different health care team members. The entrustment decision process was perceived as multilateral and dynamic, involving all health care team members and patients. Multiple entrusting supervisors for clerkship students, including nurses and psychologists, emerged from our interview data. They assumed an active role in negotiating entrustment decisions both with and for clerkship students, either facilitating or hindering opportunities. The entrustment decisions emerged as a result of a multifaceted supervisor network interaction. Supervising residents' ability to integrate students into clinical teams seems to be a critical factor in facilitating entrustment opportunities for clinical activities. Students' active management of informal supervisor networks of health care team members and these team members' willingness to assume responsibility for the students' education emerged as relevant aspects for ad hoc entrustment. Our data suggest that supervision from different health professionals is beneficial for clinical education of medical students and merits further exploration.

Personal Trust and System Trust in the Sharing Economy: A Comparison of Community- and Platform-Based Models.

Currently, new business models created in the sharing economy differ considerably and they differ in the formation of trust as well. If and how trust can be created is shown by a comparison of two examples which diverge in their founding philosophy. The chosen example of community-based economy, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), no longer trusts the capitalist system and therefore distances itself and creates its own environment including a new business model. It is implemented within rather small groups where trust is created by personal relations and face-to-face communication. On the contrary, the example of a platform economy, the accommodation-provider company Airbnb, shows trust in the system and pushes technological innovations through the use of platform applications. It promotes trust and confidence in the progress of technology. For the conceptual analysis, the distinction between personal trust and system trust defined by Niklas Luhmann is adopted. The analysis describes two different modes of trust formation and how they push distrust or improve trust. Grounded on these analyses, assumptions on the process of trust formation within varying models of the sharing economy are formulated as well as a hypothesis about possible developments is introduced for further research.

Do travelers trust intelligent service robots?

This research investigates travelers' trust in intelligent autonomous technologies based on two studies involving self-driving transportation and robot bartenders. Targeting travelers residing in the United States, online questionnaire was distributed to test the relationships between trusting beliefs in intelligent robots, its antecedents, and its outcomes. The results demonstrate that the cognitive trust formation process holds in situations involving intelligent robots as objects of trust. Trust in intelligent machines is influenced by negative attitude toward technology and propensity to trust technology. Surprisingly, the physical form of robots does not affect trust. Finally, trust leads to adoption intention in both studies. The contribution of this research is in elucidating consumer trust in intelligent robots designed for socially-driven interactions in travel settings.

Adopting a Global Virtual Team Approach to Enhance Performance of an International Nursing Research Collaboration.

Global mobility, technological developments, and evolved organizational design have expanded the scope of workplace teams beyond traditional arrangements, giving rise to global virtual teams. As universities across the world encourage mobility, there are unprecedented opportunities to create discipline-specific international networks, increase cross-cultural understanding, and create rich interactions in research. Team structure, trust formation, and communication processes are known to positively influence global virtual team performance. They are discussed to illustrate the value of a structured model of work in an international research-focused collaboration of nursing academics from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Company Response to Negative Online Reviews: The Effects of Procedural Justice, Interactional Justice, and Social Presence

This research investigates how potential customers evaluate a company response to negative online reviews. Integrating the literature on perceived justice in service recovery, social presence in online communications, and signaling in trust formation process, this research examines the effects of procedural justice, interactional justice, and social presence in the company’s response to negative online reviews on potential customers’ trust and purchase intentions toward a company. A 2 × 2 × 2 between-subject experimental design is utilized, and 410 participants are recruited through a consumer panels firm. Main results include the three-way interaction effect of procedural justice, interactional justice, and social presence on trust and the mediating effect of trust. Social presence exacerbates the negative effects on trust when both interactional justice and procedural justice are low in the company response. However, the social presence effect becomes small in increasing trust when both interactional justice and procedural justice are high in the company response. Trust mediates the relationship between customer perceptions of company response and purchase intentions. This research provides practical implications for hospitality companies on how to effectively respond to negative online reviews.

Swift trust formation in multi-national disaster project management teams

In recent years there has been growing interest in how project management theory can both inform and be informed by disaster response and recovery projects. Addressing the lack of empirical research into how trust forms within such projects, this exploratory study mobilises swift trust theory to investigate the process of trust formation within a multinational disaster project management team formed in response to tropical cyclone Winston in Fiji in 2016. In-depth content analysis of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with disaster management team members, non-participant observation of the disaster project management teams during the disaster response and analysis of disaster management documentation appear to support the predictions of swift trust theory in relation to the importance of reputation, role and interdependence in building swift trust. However, theoretical predictions around the importance of categorical assumptions, confirmation of assumptions and the leadership role of the contractor did not appear to be supported by our data. It is concluded that while swift trust theory can potentially provide valuable practical and theoretical insights into trust formation in multinational disaster project management teams, it may need to be adapted to more accurately model trust formation in a disaster project management context.

Exploring automated vehicle driving styles as a source of trust information

Trust is important for users’ acceptance and adoption of automated vehicles (AVs). Previous research has mainly focused on what information affects user trust in AVs and how the user’s trust is affected by the way the content is communicated. However, recent studies have shown that trust may also be affected by the AV’s driving style. The aim of the study was to further investigate if and how the vehicle’s driving style affects user trust in AVs and, in particular, how this is expressed by users. An experiment involving 18 participants, using a Wizard of Oz setup and within a subject design, was conducted comparing two different driving styles, ‘Defensive’ and ‘Aggressive’. Trust was measured using a mixed method research design including momentaneous trust ratings and think-aloud procedures while driving, a post-run trust questionnaire as well as trust curve sketching and a personal interview. The results show that driving style had an effect on user trust and that the ‘Defensive’ driving style was perceived as more trustworthy, in part because it was deemed more predictable than the ‘Aggressive’ driving style. Furthermore, participants expressed trust in using affective, analogical and analytic responses, the two former during the test runs and the latter directly after each test run. The interview after the completion produced a more mixed result. By combining different data collection methods, a nuanced picture of the trust formation process and users’ trust in AVs was obtained. The study concludes that it is important to consider the vehicle performance information provided by the vehicle’s driving style so as to create user trust in AVs.