Trust building strategies: Critical factors for establishing cooperation in an interrogative context

• While research has demonstrated the importance of rapport in the interrogative context, further research is needed to better understand the construct. This study drew on prior research showing that trust building is empirically distinguishable from rapport, that early trust perceptions are related to cognitive rather than affective processes, and that cognitive trust perceptions can be influenced through two trust-building tactics: demonstrating trustworthiness and demonstrating a willingness to trust, leading to cooperation and information yield in the interrogative context. In the current study, we introduce a conceptual model suggesting that trust is catalyzed through reciprocity. This trust-building model was evaluated through a series of experiments that controlled if the interviewer (i) recognized the subject’s needs (i.e., empathy), (ii) emphasized the consequences of following through on his offer (i.e., risk), and (iii) requested information in return (i.e., non-independence) when demonstrating trustworthiness and a willingness to trust. The preliminary findings support the use of trust-building tactics to develop cognitive trust, and the efficacy of the key elements of the model will be discussed.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Tillämpad psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Applied Psychology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Trust

trust-building

intelligence interviewing

interrogation

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)