Age-Related Preservation of Trust Following Minor Transgressions

Phoebe E Bailey, Katherine Petridis, Skye N McLennan, Ted Ruffman and Peter G Rendell

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2019, vol. 74, issue 1, 74-81

Abstract: Objectives This study assesses age-related differences in the weighting and integration of appearance and behavior cues to trustworthiness. The aim is to assess whether it becomes more difficult with age to detect a cheater in disguise. MethodYoung and older adults invested real money in a repeated trust game with trustees who varied on facial expression (smiling, neutral, angry) and return rate (high, low). Trustees were also rated for trustworthiness pre- and post-trust game. Results Young and older adults learned to disregard appearances to invest more in trustees providing high relative to low returns. Both groups also updated ratings of trustworthiness from pre- to post-trust game in the direction of behavior that was incongruent with appearance. Notably, young (but not older) adults updated ratings of smiling trustees with a high return rate (i.e., returned money on 8 of 10 investments) to reflect reduced trustworthiness in line with the 2 instances of cheating from those trustees. Discussion The findings show that there are no age-related differences in the way that obvious cheating in disguise is punished with reduced trustworthiness ratings. However, older adults are less vigilant to more subtle cheating in disguise, or are more forgiving of transgressions perceived as minor.

Keywords: Cheater detection; Facial expression; Repeated trust game; Trustworthiness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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