Category-Based Learning About Deviant Outgroup Members Hinders Performance in Trust Decision Making

Abstract

The present research examines whether individuation and categorization processes influence trust decisions about strangers at first and across repeated interactions. In a partial replication of the study reported by Cañadas et al. (2015), participants played an adaptation of the multi-round trust game paradigm and had to decide whether or not to cooperate with unknown partners. Gender (Study 1a) and ethnicity (Studies 1b, 2, and 3) served to create distinct social categories among the game partners, whose reciprocation rates were manipulated at group and individual levels. At the group level, two social groups (i.e., ingroup vs. outgroup) were associated with opposite reciprocation rates (i.e., high vs. low reciprocation rate). At the individual level, consistency was manipulated by altering the reciprocation rate of one out of four members of each social group. That is, there was one inconsistent individual in each group showing a pattern of reciprocation opposite to the group reciprocation rate. Our data, contrary to Cañadas et al.’s (2015) findings, suggested that ingroup partners were individuated given that participants made their decisions to cooperate with the trustees according to their individual reciprocation rate and independently of the group reciprocation rate. In contrast, decisions about outgroup partners (i.e., men in Study 1a and Blacks in Studies 1b, 2, and 3) were affected by category-based thinking. At the same time, in comparison with ingroup, greater cooperation was observed with ethnic outgroups but not with gender outgroups. The consistency of our results with the previous literature on social categorization and across the three experiments seems to indicate they are reliable, supporting the hypothesis that categorization and individuation processes guide trust decision-making, promoting individuation mainly for ingroup and categorization among outgroup members.

Older and Younger Adults Perform Similarly in an Iterated Trust Game

“…Before data collection, we decided to run a minimum of 40 participants in each group, as in previous research using this paradigm (Telga et al, 2018). Accordingly, 41 older (24 men, mean age: 65.36, range: 60-86) and 41 younger (12 men, mean age: 21.78, range: 18-27) volunteers participated in the study in exchange for a financial compensation proportional to their performance in the task (€5.40 on average).…”

“…We expected the pattern of results in the learning phase to echo previous findings observed with gender and ethnic categories. In particular, Telga et al (2018) found that younger participants' learning about gender and ethnic outgroups is impacted by an outgroup homogeneity effect. In the present research, we also expected younger participants to show an outgroup homogeneity effect with age categories.…”

“…Depending on several contextual and motivational variables, we may either focus on easily noticeable facial or social cues that help us to make quick decisions or focus instead on the individuating cues that allow us to understand our interactions partners as unique individuals. In social interactions involving trust, perceivers are motivated to adopt an individuating approach, focusing on diagnostic individual behavioral information that is deemed valuable to predict future behaviors (Telga et al, 2018). When information about how others behaved in the past is available, it largely impacts trustworthiness judgments (Delgado et al, 2005;Shen et al, 2020).…”

“…Importantly, this outgroup homogeneity effect is also observed in the context of trust decisions and may persist across repeated interactions. For instance, Telga et al (2018) used an iterated Trust Game to explore participants' learning of the cooperative behaviors of ingroup and outgroup members. Within each social group, a small proportion of individuals (i.e., inconsistent partners) showed a pattern of cooperation opposite to the rest of their group.…”

“…Also, older adults may be less sensitive to negative feedback of untrustworthiness, and overall show larger cooperation rates than their younger counterparts. These hypotheses are explored in an adaptation of the iterated Trust Game (Berg et al, 1995;Telga et al, 2018), by comparing older and younger adults' cooperation decisions in first interactions (baseline phase and transfer phases) and when learning the trustworthiness tendency of unfamiliar young and old partners (learning phase).…”