How interpersonal trust is developed from social exchange: possible mechanisms and cultural differences
Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
A mediation model is proposed to explain the development of dyadic trust (i.e., trust between two partners) wherein the quality of affective exchange (i.e., exchange fulfilling people's need for interpersonal affection) mediates the contribution of instrumental exchange (i.e., exchange fulfilling people's pragmatic needs). Moreover, some cultural boundary-conditions of this model are hypothesized when comparing Western and Confucian cultures. In one cross-sectional survey (142 American undergraduates, and 126 Chinese undergraduates), daily relationship data supports the mediation model in both cultural groups. However, Chinese trust building is more affectively based compared to American trust building, whereas American trust building is more instrumentally based compared to Chinese trust building. Two experimental studies utilizing a repeated trust game (116 American undergraduates and 123 Chinese undergraduates) further validate a critical, temporal mediation mechanism of the model for trust development, showing that this mechanism works similarly for both cultural groups in the laboratory setting. Lastly, Chinese participants compared to American participants tend to exhibit greater partner trust and lesser inequity aversion towards unbalanced exchange outcomes, whether self-advantaging or self-disadvantaging, in the repeated trust game. This cultural difference can be attributed to different cultural norms of reciprocity. The findings have important practical implications for business and management processes concerning marketing, negotiation, conflict resolution, and workplace relationships.