The Same or Different? Investigating Whether Trust and Distrust Are Orthogonal Constructs or Span a Continuum

Abstract

Trust has been investigated across many psychology sub-disciplines. However, there is a debate in the literature as to whether a) trust is a continuum ranging from trust to distrust or b) if trust and distrust are orthogonal constructs. The present research investigated these postulates by assessing self-reported measures of trust and distrust before and after an experimental task. Participants engaged in a trust game and were randomized to experience trust or distrust behaviors across several trials. The results showed that self-reported measures of trust and distrust were highly correlated. Moreover, the experimental manipulation evidenced comparable effects on both trust and distrust criterion. The results support the postulate that trust and distrust compose a continuum, with trust at one end and distrust at the other. Practically speaking, researchers may wish to simply assess a measure of trust rather than assessing multiple self-report measures of the same construct (i.e., trust and distrust).