Valid and Reliable Measures of Generalized Trust: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey and Behavioral Experiment

Across the social sciences, generalized trust has been one of the most frequently examined constructs since researchers first introduced measures of it in the 1950s. Despite its significance, there is growing consensus that conventional measures of generalized trust are prone to measurement invalidity and non-equivalence, which places sociological knowledge about generalized trust in serious doubt. In this article, I advance trust research in sociology by (1) refining two new self-report measures of generalized trust—the Stranger Face Trust scale (SFT) and the Imaginary Stranger Trust scale (IST)—and (2) assessing their empirical performance on a nationally representative probability sample (N = 1,264). I compare the reliability and validity of SFT, IST, and traditional measures of generalized trust across a number of measurement validation tests (convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-groups validity, and predictive validity). Results suggest that SFT provides the most accurate and consistent measure of generalized trust. I conclude by discussing the implications of my findings for sociological knowledge.

An Empirical Comparison of Four Generalized Trust Scales: Test–Retest Reliability, Measurement Invariance, Predictive Validity, and Replicability

The Stranger Face Trust scale (SFT) and Imaginary Stranger Trust scale (IST) are two new self-report measures of generalized trust that assess trust in strangers—both real and imaginary—across four trust domains. Prior research has established the reliability and validity of SFT and IST, but a number of measurement validation tests remain. Across three separate studies, I assess the test–retest reliability, measurement invariance, predictive validity, and replicability of SFT and IST, with the misanthropy scale (MST) and generalized social trust scale (GST) serving as benchmarks. First, tests of internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and longitudinal measurement invariance established that all four generalized trust scales were acceptably reliable, with SFT and IST yielding greater overall reliability than MST and GST. Second, tests of multiple group measurement invariance revealed that SFT and IST were equivalent across gender, race, education, and age groups, while MST and GST were non-equivalent across the same sociodemographic groups. Third, an investment game established the predictive validity of SFT and MST, with IST and GST yielding poor predictive validity. Fourth, tests of factor structure and measurement invariance indicated that all four generalized trust scales replicated across samples. The present findings bolster the validity, reliability, and measurement equivalence of SFT and IST, while illustrating the compromised validity and measurement non-equivalence of MST and GST. Implications for the measurement of generalized trust are discussed.

Perceived social trust among educational counselors

Research title: Social trust among educational counselors. The current research aims to identify: The perceived social trust of educational counselors. 1- Statistically significant differences in the perceived social trust of educational counselors according to gender (males, females), length of service (1-5, 6-10, 11 and more) and school (primary, intermediate, preparatory( . To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher relied on the following: 1- Using the descriptive associative approach to reveal the perceived social trust of educational counselors. 2- Perceived social trust scale based on Rotter’s social learning theory. In its final form, the scale consisted of (36) items after completing the conditions of honesty, stability, discriminatory strength, and internal consistency, which were divided into three areas (predictability, reliability and belief( . To complement this, the researcher applied the scale to a sample of (300) male and female guides in the schools of the center, districts and sub-districts of the General Directorate of Al-Qadisiyah Education, which were selected by the stratified random method according to the proportional method. After collecting the data and processing it statistically using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), the research reached the following results: A - The educational counselors have a perceived social confidence that is statistically significant. B - There are no statistically significant differences in the perceived social confidence of educational counselors according to the gender variable (males, females.( C- There are statistically significant differences in the perceived social confidence of educational counselors according to the variable length of service (1-5 years, 6-10 years, 11 years and more), as the results showed that educational counselors whose service exceeds (11 years) have confidence Perceived social is more than the rest of the counselors, followed by the educational counselors with (5-10 years) and finally the educational counselors with the service (1-5 years). This indicates that the level of perceived social trust increases with the increase in the level of service. And to complement the findings of the research, the researcher recommended several recommendations and suggestions

Confianza durante la pandemia por COVID-19 en Panamá

Esta investigación forma parte de una batería de pruebas para precisar las consecuencias psicológicas y conductuales por la crisis COVID-19, a partir de la iniciativa COVIDiSTRESS global survey (Lieberoth y colaboradores, 2020). El objetivo es establecer las propiedades psicométricas de la escala de confianza de la OCDE para explicar la confianza en las personas y en las instituciones en situación de COVID-19 en Panamá. Es un estudio transversal, prospectivo y comparativo. Se aplicó el instrumento de medición sobre confianza elaborado por la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), a una población de 765 panameños adultos, entre 18 y 82 años. La estructura psicométrica indica una validez de constructo que integra a dos factores que en conjunto tienen una varianza explicada de 69.69%. La confiabilidad Alpha de Cronbach, arroja un puntaje global de 0.882. Los resultados evidencian desconfianza en las personas, en las autoridades y en las instituciones nacionales e internacionales en situación de COVID-19 en Panamá. Se perciben diferencias significativas por escolaridad, situación marital y edad. La confianza es similarmente baja por género, a pesar de los esfuerzos gubernamentales por el manejo pertinente y eficiente durante el inicio de la pandemia. Es importante, resaltar que la situación de cuarentena por pandemia durante la aplicación del cuestionario es una variable externa, extraordinaria, por lo que se recomienda realizar estudios longitudinales para contrastar y medir el impacto que ésta tiene. This research is part of a battery of tests to determine the psychological and behavioral consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, based on the COVIDiSTRESS global survey initiative (Lieberoth et al., 2020). The objective is to establish the psychometric properties of the OECD trust scale to explain trust in people and institutions in situation of COVID-19 in Panama. It is a cross-sectional, prospective, and comparative study. The confidence measurement instrument developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was applied to a population of 765 Panamanian adults, between n 18 and 82 years old. The psychometric structure indicates a construct validity that integrates two factors that together have an explained variance of 69.69%. Cronbach's Alpha reliability yields an overall score of 0.882. The results show mistrust in people, authorities, and national and international institutions in situation of COVID-19 in Panama. Significant differences are perceived by schooling, marital status, and age. Confidence is similarly low by gender, despite government efforts for relevant and efficient management during the onset of the pandemic. It is important to highlight that the quarantine situation due to pandemic during the application of the questionnaire is an external, extraordinary variable, so it is recommended to carry out longitudinal studies to contrast and measure the impact it has.

Traceability and Management Method of Supply Chain Information Based on Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless sensor network is an emerging technology with broad application prospects and will play an increasingly important role in many aspects of people’s production practices. This article is aimed at conducting research on supply chain information traceability and management methods from the perspective of wireless sensor networks. This paper uses simulation methods and comparative experiment methods. From the perspective of Spanner algorithm research, the wireless sensor network technology is researched, the explanation and simplification of Spanner algorithm in supply chain information traceability are designed, and the parameters are optimized while the algorithm is optimized. Performance analysis introduced the research on supply chain disturbance management and conducted the reliability analysis of the supply chain trust scale. The experimental results show that among the three dimensions of supply chain information sharing, the reliability coefficients of the two dimensions of information sharing content and information sharing quality are 0.803 and 0.825, respectively, which are both greater than 0.8, indicating that the reliability is very good. Cronbach’s coefficient in the information sharing level dimension is equal to 0.665, which is in an acceptable range, the CITC value of this dimension is all higher than 0.4, and the value of the deleted item is lower than 0.665, so all the items of the information sharing level will also be retained. The research of supply chain information traceability and management methods based on wireless sensor network is well completed.

Effects of automation trust in drivers’ visual distraction during automation

With ongoing improvements in vehicle automation, research on automation trust has attracted considerable attention. In order to explore effects of automation trust on drivers’ visual distraction, we designed a three-factor 2 (trust type: high trust group, low trust group) × 2 (video entertainment: variety-show videos, news videos) × 3 (measurement stage: 1–3) experiment. 48 drivers were recruited in Dalian, China for the experiment. With a driving simulator, we used detection-response tasks (DRT) to measure each driver’s performance. Their eye movements were recorded, and automation-trust scale was used to divide participants into high trust group and low trust group. The results show that: (1) drivers in the high trust group has lower mental workload and paid more attention to visual non-driving-related tasks; (2) video entertainment also has an impact on distraction behavior, variety-show videos catch more attention than news videos. The findings of the present study indicate that drivers with high automation trust are more likely to be involved in non-driving-related visual tasks.

Urdu Translation and Validation of Trust in Close Relationship Scale

The current study aimed to translate Trust in Close Relationship Scale in Urdu for married couples in Pakistan and to establish its psychometric properties. The forward and backward translation method was used for the translation of the scale followed by the try-out phase. After determining the cross language validation, in order to confirm the factor structure of the scale, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was run. The sample comprised of 250 participants of different age groups (M = 39.7, SD = 10.1). The results of CFA supported the original three-factor structure of the scale (viz., Avoidance, Benevolence and Retaliation) by providing a good model fit to the data with values of X2 = 229.61 (df = 110, p < .001), CFI =.91, GFI = .91, and RMSEA = .06. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was α= .87. The convergent validity of the scale was determined on a sample of 100 participants by finding its correlation with Trust Scale (r = .72, p < .001). The results support that the scale has promising.

Trustworthiness, Security and the Decision to Buy on Electronic Platforms: Validity studies of a scale

The digitization of the economy is creating difficulties for traditional companies, jeopardizing the survival of the most resistant to change. With e-commerce platforms, small and micro-businesses can open new channels of communication with consumers, paying attention to some psychological factors that influence the decision to buy online: the perception of security, reputation, trust, appearance and design websites. The purpose of this article is to assess the importance of these factors in the decision to purchase online, using a questionnaire administered on line (GoogleForms) to a Portuguese convenience sample (n = 163). The results reveal differences based on sex and consumers' previous experience in carrying out online transactions, as well as significant associations between some of the dimensions of the online trust scale of Sevim and Hall (2014) and the use of e-commerce platforms. In the conclusions, some proposals for conceptual clarification are presented and the psychometric properties of the scale used are discussed.