Browsing by Subject "Trust"
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Item A new perspective on trust in marital relationships: how trust in specific areas of the relationship relates to marital satisfaction and attachment style(Texas Tech University, 2001-08) Korinek, Alan W.Trust is a multifaceted construct, one that may not be useful unless attending to the complex and unique aspects of the given individuals and their relationship. Current conceptualizations of trust are limited to a single dimension, the dimension of depth (i.e., how much global trust a person has). The goal of this dissertation was to expand the conceptualization of trust by exploring the dimension of breadth. For the purposes of the study, the Trust in Specific Areas Scale (TSAS) was created. The TSAS is an 11-item scale that assesses an individual's level of trust in 11 important areas of the relationship (Sager, 1981). A panel of experts reviewed the items as to their content validity and a pilot-test of the TSAS provided preliminary support for its internal consistency.Item Academic disidentification in African American college students : an exploratory investigation of the role of teacher trust, parental racial socialization, and gender(2014-08) McClain, Shannon Elizabeth; Cokley, Kevin O. (Kevin O'Neal), 1969-The purpose of this study was to explore whether academic disidentification (i.e., the relation between ASC and GPA), differed based on students’ gender and reported level of parental racial-ethnic socialization and teacher trust. This study was exploratory in nature, as few researchers have examined the relation between parental racial-ethnic socialization and academic outcomes or the relation between teacher trust and academic outcomes. Secondary goals of this study included and examination of (1) the relation between racial socialization and academic outcomes, (2) the relation between teacher trust and academic outcomes, (3) the relation between parenting constructs (i.e., racial socialization and parental warmth) and teacher trust, and (4) the role of parental warmth as a variable that potentially buffers negative child outcomes or enhances positive child outcomes. Participants included 319 African American students (120 males, 199 females) recruited from a large, southwestern, predominantly white university. Results indicated the presence of academic disidentification as unique to upperclassmen males (i.e., the relation between ASC and GPA was significant for females and underclassmen males, but not upperclassmen males). Parental messages of promotion of mistrust were found to significantly moderate the relation between ASC and GPA. Further, in examining the influence of the combination of teacher trust x sex on the relation between ASC and GPA, a significant three-way interaction was present. Teacher trust was also found to be a significant predictor of GPA, with gender significantly moderating this relation. Gender differences were present for teacher trust, but there were not differences between underclassmen and upperclassmen. Racial socialization variables were not found to significantly predict GPA. However, two types of racial socialization (promotion of mistrust and egalitarianism) and parental warmth were found to be significant predictors of teacher trust. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.Item Actions and behaviors public school superintendents perceive to build trust with diverse and competing constituencies(2008-05) Allen, Christopher Shawn, 1972-; Olivárez, RubénEducational leaders serve in a context that has grown increasingly complex. The change in student demographics, pressures of high stakes testing and accountability, and high turnover rates among educational leaders have created significant leadership challenges. To effectively execute the mission of public schools, superintendents muster resources and glean contributions from various stakeholders with whom they have developed some degree of trust. Research suggests trust levels between school leaders and the public is at an all time low. Effectiveness in the current educational landscape requires leaders capable of generating trust. Successful superintendents take actions and behave in ways that build trust with diverse and competing constituencies. This treatise uses a case study design to describe and analyze the actions and behaviors of three superintendents that they perceive as building trust with diverse and competing constituencies. The Lewis and Weigert (1985) analytical framework guides the data collection and analysis of this data demonstrates emergent themes. This study suggests the participants act and behave in ways that align with the framing theory and makes conclusions about the tension that exists as school system leaders attempt to generate the highest levels of trust while limiting their vulnerability.Item Adaptive trust modeling in multi-agent systems: utilizing experience and reputation(2007-12) Fullam, Karen Katherine, 1977-; Barber, K. SuzanneTrust among individuals is essential for transactions. A human or software agent in need of resources may reduce transaction risk by modeling the trustworthiness of potential partners. Experience- and reputation-based trust models have unique advantages and disadvantages depending on environment factors, including availability of experience opportunities, trustee trustworthiness dynamics, reputation accuracy, and reputation cost. This research identifies how trusters may utilize both experience- and reputation-based trust modeling to achieve more accurate decision-making tools than using either modeling technique alone. The research produces: 1) the Adaptive Trust Modeling technique for combining experience- vs. reputation-based models to produce the most accurate aggregated model possible, 2) a quantitative analysis of the tradeoffs between experience- and reputation-based models to determine conditions under which each type of model is favorable, and 3) an Adaptive Cost Selection algorithm for assessing the value of trust information given acquisition costs. Experiments show that Adaptive Trust Modeling yields an aggregate trust model more accurate than either experience- or reputation-based modeling alone, and Adaptive Cost Selection acquires the optimal combination of trust information, maximizing a truster's transaction payoff while minimizing trust information costs. These tools enable humans and software agents to make effective trust-based decisions given dynamic system conditions.Item An Agricultural Market in the Northern Peruvians Andes: Formal/Informal Market Sectors, Method of Transfer, and Trust(2013-05-31) Johnson, James BrentThis study considers the market of potatoes in Amazonas, Peru from an informal production sector to a more formal retail-marketing sector. I consider and challenge current understandings that attempt to model formal/informal markets sectors. Those include state involvement in economic processes, wage structure and social security mechanisms, and size and organizational techniques. As, well I suggest that the method of transfer would be a useful addition to the work that attempts to model and define formal and informal economic sectors. I do so because of the importance of trust in economic exchange. In this study, these four models are reframed in terms of hypotheses to see which can most systematically explain increased formality along the market channel from production to retail marketing. I find that only two can. Those are state involvement and method of transfer and trust. Research methods include open-ended interviews (n=25) and participant observation.Item An analysis of the level of trust texas cotton producers place in the texas newspaper media: a qualitative determination of the behavioral characteristics of trust(2007-08) Foster, Jerod W.; Akers, Cynthia W.; Burris, Scott; Fraze, StevenNewspapers have long played a role in providing information to a wide-range of audiences. Newspapers offer a well-known mode of communication for a variety of issues. However, newspapers are sometimes looked upon as biased, liberal members of the mass communication industry. This issue has been a focus for researchers in the realm of agricultural communications, as well as members of the general public. Many efforts have been made in recent years to study the quality and quantity of the Texas newspaper media’s coverage of cotton and cotton-related issues. Before the creation of CottonLink, desired characteristics of a media resource guide were asked of Texas newspaper reporters. However, the cotton producer has had little opportunity to voice his/her opinion on the issue. This study sought to identify producers’ perspectives on trust for the Texas newspaper media, as well as determine those characteristics in which Texas cotton producers look for in other entities in order for them to enact that behavior in them. The research conducted was prefaced by the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior, and an adaptation of the grounded theory method of data analysis was utilized for determining the findings of the study. Data collected include interview transcripts, a usability questionnaire, and a researcher perspective journal. Key findings of this research study include the identification of the characteristics that determine trust among Texas cotton producers. Producers also identified their level of trust for the Texas newspaper media, while also stating the low utilization of the newspaper information regarding cotton and related issues. Finally, producers recognized their perspectives of other institutional specific information entities such as magazines, extension service publications, and other cotton-related publications. The findings for this study also resulted in implications that affect the Texas newspaper media and their relationship with the Texas cotton industry. Recommendations focus on both the Texas newspaper media and the Texas cotton producers, as well as future research in agricultural communications.Item An analysis of consumers' knowledge and perceptions in relation to genetically engineered (GE) Cotton : marketing and utility(2011-12) Watson, Megan Mignon; Krifa, Mourad; Lee, Hyun-Hwa; Xu, BugaoCotton makes up a majority of the world’s fiber market, with genetically engineered (GE) cotton the current staple of the US agricultural landscape. With GE cotton’s overall acceptance for US farmers and manufacturers, it is of concern that the majority of literature concerning GE crops primarily compares negative attitudes towards GE food crops in stricter economies such as the European Union. Due to the inadequate literature regarding both the market advantages and consumer perceptions of GE cotton specifically, this study was conceived to provide marketers with a baseline analysis of the factors that affect US consumers’ current attitudes (knowledge, risk perceptions, etc.) regarding GE cotton. Multiple regression analyses were used for our models which measured purchase intentions towards GE cotton and perceived risks of GE cotton based on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Paired and single t-tests were performed to predict the current positioning of GE cotton as a marketable alternative to organic and conventional cotton, and to determine which institutions consumer’s trust most for information on the risks and benefits of GE cotton. Our studies showed that while knowledge of cotton and agriculture is low, GE cotton was regarded more positively than conventional cotton with the potential to improve in consumer’s opinions. According to our findings, by efficiently communicating the benefits of GE cotton through trusted channels of communication (i.e. scientists, consumer organizations, the media), particularly addressing ethical concerns, policy regulation, and how the product is useful to the consumer individually, GE cotton could become a comparative market alternative to organic, at a greater available supply.Item Business alliance success: the influence of alliance competence, idiosyncratic resources, and relational factors(Texas Tech University, 2001-08) Wittmann, Charles MichaelThe use of business alliances as a strategic option has grown tremendously over the past decade. Firms are seeking partners, both within and across industries, with the valuable resources necessary to survive and thrive. While the use of alliances has increased, the success rate has remained poor. Thus a key question is: What factors contribute to alliance success? Researchers have offered three views to explain alliance success. The resource-based view focuses on firm's resources. The underlying premise is that when alliance partners possess valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate resources, then the alliance should be successful. The competence-based view suggests that alliances are successful when firms develop an alliance competence that allows them to secure, develop, and maintain alliances. Finally, the relational factors view holds that when alliances are characterized by factors such as trust, commitment, and cooperation that they will be successful. In general, past research has tested one or two views of alliance success. This research develops and tests a theoretically grounded model of alliance success. The findings suggest that the three views of alliance success are complementary. Therefore, the integrative model developed and tested in this research offers a more complete explanation of alliance success.Item Cleavages, social engagement and trust in post-communist euroupe(2009-05-15) Rossbach, David OttoThis dissertation addresses generalized trust in Post-Communist Europe. I examine trust stressing two sets of factors: the impact of attitudes associated with cleavages coming out of transition to democracy, and the importance of informal interpersonal association over more formal, structured forms of association. I argue that the classic list of cleavages suggested by Lipset and Rokkan (1967) have less importance to trust since those cleavages developed under the communist one-party state and were therefore less connected to the party system. As a result, these classic cleavages did not have the same mobilization functions as they did in Western Europe. Instead, I argue that cleavages that have developed out of the transition to democracy and a free-market economic system bear greater importance to trust. I further argue that due to the experience of forced group association during the communist era, and lingering distaste for formal political participation, the familiar Western models of the benefits of social engagement underestimate the importance of informal association in the post-communist states. Informal association was a key component of survival during the communist era and continues to be a valuable means of conferring information and forming political judgments. The first contribution this dissertation makes is that it brings together theories of political cleavages with theories of trust and social capital development. The dissertation bridges the gap between societal divisions and the position of the individual within these divisions. A second contribution of the dissertation is the testing of established theories of formal social engagement in post-communist states. The secretive nature of association during the communist era differs greatly from the open nature of association in the West. Theories of trust and social capital development must take this fact into account when exploring post-communist states.Item Credibility in context : addressing audiences, objectivity, and branding in contemporary news credibility research(2012-05) Williams, Larissa Catherine; Gil de Zúñiga, Homero; Coleman, RenitaThis study employs an experimental design to test the effects of branding,presence of opinion, and gender on news credibility. A history of credibility theory in social science research is explored in order to contextualize investigation of truth and objectivity in the contemporary fragmented news landscapes. The goal is to contribute to the academic methodologies employed in the exploration of credibility in news as well as make practical suggestions to news makers. Results of the empirical methods in this thesis showed that belief in the news organization from a pretest was positively correlated with the credibility ratings of the individual story conditions but previously held beliefs about story topic were not. Neutral stories were rated higher in terms of credibility than those with opinion statements regardless of brand or belief in the news institution. A scale for personal acceptance of opinion in news is proposed to provide credibility theorists a way to unobtrusively measure predilection for opinion news. While no differences in gender were found using the newly-proposed scale, an individual’s propensity to trust was positively correlated with acceptance of opinion in news. Audience specialization in news should lead to specialized studies of credibility, particularly the roles of gender information processing in relation to objectivity, opinion, and credibility.Item Developing trust in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising : the effects of benefit type and balance of risk and benefit information(2011-05) Ball, Jennifer Gerard; Stout, Patricia A.; Choi, Sejung M.; McAlister, Alfred; Sung, Yongjun; Lee, Wei-NaTrust in direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising is declining among consumers. Survey findings suggest providing more information about side effects and benefits to address this issue. Some scholars also criticize the ads for their emotional content despite the key role emotion can play in health-related decision making and trust. Therefore, an experimental study was conducted to assess the relative effectiveness of functional and emotional benefit communication as well the preferred balance of side effects and benefits information provided in DTC pharmaceutical ads in terms of perceived credibility/trust and persuasive outcomes. Results suggest a message including a combination of functional and emotional benefits is considered more credible and informative than an ad describing only emotional benefits. In addition, a high amount of side effect information produces lower brand attitudes and greater perceptions of manipulative intent compared to a low amount of side effect information. Implications for pharmaceutical advertising practitioners and researchers are discussed.Item An investigation of the association between secrecy characteristics, trust, and the reasons romantic partners report for discussing expectations regarding secrecy(2011-12) Niedermyer, Angela Jo; Vangelisti, Anita L.; Dailey, Rene M.; Daly, John A.; Stroud, Natalie J.; Beretvas, NatashaThe decision of romantic partners to share or keep a secret involves each partner’s perception of the other’s trustworthiness. Indeed, trust may influence how romantic partners enact secrecy in their relationship. This study investigated the willingness of individuals to keep secrets from their partner, the number of secrets that people keep from their partner, individuals’ reports of their reasons for discussing their expectations regarding secrets, and the association between each of these characteristics and partners’ trust. First, the literature regarding secrecy and people’s willingness to keep secrets from a relational partner is investigated. People’s willingness to keep secrets from a relational partner should differ based on their trust in the partner. Secret holders are more likely to disclose to a confidant when they perceive that confidant to be trustworthy (Kelly & McKillop, 1996) and, conversely may not disclose to a confidant who lacks trustworthiness (Wheeless & Grotz, 1977). In light of these findings, it was expected that individuals’ willingness to keep secrets would be negatively related to the degree to which they trusted their partner. In a similar vein, the association between trust and the frequency of discussing expectations regarding secrecy was explored. The literature suggests two possibilities for the association between trust and the frequency of discussing expectations regarding secrecy. The first is that individuals who trust their partner enough may decide to discuss how secrets should be managed, because dyadic trust is associated with increased intimacy of disclosure (Larzelere & Huston, 1980). The second possibility is that people may choose to discuss their expectations of how they should manage secrets, not because of trust, but because a lack of trustworthiness. Research questions explored the associations between the frequency of discussing expectations regarding secrecy and partners’ willingness to keep secrets, the number of secrets they keep, and their trust. Finally, the reasons why individuals might or might not discuss their expectations regarding secrets with their partner, and what these discussions might consist of were explored.Item Learning from the past, altering the future: The effects of past relationships on couples who remarry(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Brimhall, Andrew S.; Wampler, Karen S.; Kimball, Thomas G.; Ivey, David C.; Crawford, Duane W.Over 20 years ago Furstenberg (1979) called for more research on the relationship between former spouses. Despite that call, not many empirical studies have examined this relationship, particularly among those who are remarried (Buunk & Mutsaers, 1999). The small body of literature that has studied remarriage is primarily based on large national databases that take a distant, external, stance to the data. Little, if any, research exists that takes a process-oriented approach to understanding the difficulties faced by individuals who remarry. Yet, 4 out of 10 people entering marriage today are entering a marriage where one or both spouses have been previously married (Ihinger-Tallman & Pasley, 1997). Currently, the applied literature lacks the necessary information to establish a theory regarding remarriage and how previous marriages affect current relationships. Many of the explanations that exist are speculative and lack theoretical grounding. This study used grounded theory methodology in an attempt to understand a complex social phenomenon that is affecting many lives. The sample consisted of 8 couples who indicated that they left a relationship that was dissatisfying and were currently in a satisfying relationship. Each participant was in their second marriage, remarried as a result of divorce, married less than 5 years, and not severely distressed. Participants were interviewed individually and then together with their spouse and were asked to describe how their first marriages were currently affecting their second marriages. Trust, and how it was affected over the course of the relationship, was the central category that emerged. From this central category three categories were developed: lack of trust in the previous relationship, attempts to increase trust in the development of the current relationship, and presence of trust in the current relationship. The experiences of three participants were highlighted to show the relationships between categories and how the trust in relationships varied among these categories. Through the use of participant feedback, internal and external auditors, and existing literature the findings were validated. From these results provisional hypotheses were developed and implications for clinicians working with couples who remarry were discussed.Item Learning from the past, altering the future: The effects of past relationships on couples who remarry(2005-08) Brimhall, Andrew S.; Wampler, Karen S.; Kimball, Thomas G.; Ivey, David C.; Crawford, Duane W.Over 20 years ago Furstenberg (1979) called for more research on the relationship between former spouses. Despite that call, not many empirical studies have examined this relationship, particularly among those who are remarried (Buunk & Mutsaers, 1999). The small body of literature that has studied remarriage is primarily based on large national databases that take a distant, external, stance to the data. Little, if any, research exists that takes a process-oriented approach to understanding the difficulties faced by individuals who remarry. Yet, 4 out of 10 people entering marriage today are entering a marriage where one or both spouses have been previously married (Ihinger-Tallman & Pasley, 1997). Currently, the applied literature lacks the necessary information to establish a theory regarding remarriage and how previous marriages affect current relationships. Many of the explanations that exist are speculative and lack theoretical grounding. This study used grounded theory methodology in an attempt to understand a complex social phenomenon that is affecting many lives. The sample consisted of 8 couples who indicated that they left a relationship that was dissatisfying and were currently in a satisfying relationship. Each participant was in their second marriage, remarried as a result of divorce, married less than 5 years, and not severely distressed. Participants were interviewed individually and then together with their spouse and were asked to describe how their first marriages were currently affecting their second marriages. Trust, and how it was affected over the course of the relationship, was the central category that emerged. From this central category three categories were developed: lack of trust in the previous relationship, attempts to increase trust in the development of the current relationship, and presence of trust in the current relationship. The experiences of three participants were highlighted to show the relationships between categories and how the trust in relationships varied among these categories. Through the use of participant feedback, internal and external auditors, and existing literature the findings were validated. From these results provisional hypotheses were developed and implications for clinicians working with couples who remarry were discussed.Item Relationship commitment and trust in marketing(Texas Tech University, 1991-05) Morgan, Robert MNot availableItem The role of teacher mistrust and parental racial socialization on academic disidentification in African American male college students(2012-08) McClain, Shannon Elizabeth; Cokley, Kevin O. (Kevin O'Neal), 1969-; Suizzo, Marie-AnneThe academic achievement gap is one of the most important areas of inquiry in education today. Racial-ethnic disparities in achievement continue to be persistent at every level—including post-secondary education. Research suggests African American males are particularly likely to disidentify with academics, resulting in a lack of a significant relation between academic self-concept and academic outcomes. Research has found a relationship between racial-ethnic messages that parents give to their children and academic achievement. Further, the student’s gender may impact the types of parental messages given. Multiple regression statistical analysis will be used to determine if the relation between academic self-concept and GPA is moderated by parental racial-ethnic socialization, teacher mistrust, and gender.Item Social Structure as an Embodied Experience(2013-04-26) Chouinard, James BabsonAn overarching goal of my dissertation is to delineate social systemic processes as first and foremost embodied, experiential processes. I argue that such processes manifest through and depend upon the organism?s affective integration with her environment. Whereby, I delineate concepts like alienation and agency as manifesting through an affective intelligibility. Symbolic alienation, then, represents a circumstance in which institutional narratives purport moral or aesthetic truths that denigrate and deny the organism?s affective understanding of a circumstance. Agentic growth refers to the organism?s affective adaptation to an environment. Such growth follows from the process of working through experiential discordance (i.e., the disturbance of experiential flow or continuity) and manifests as a new-found sense of trust and understanding. Experiential discordance is an unavoidable occurrence because the organism-environment relationship is a dynamic one. If the organism is unable to mitigate and repair such discordance, she will face the threat of traumatization. Furthermore, those who disrupt the conventional-institutional organization or channeling of experience take on the character of dirt and thereby represent a dirty Other. If institutions react to the troubling, dirty Other by means of systemic repression, rather than genuine communication and reintegration, then said dirty Other takes on the character of shit. In such a circumstance, the presence of the dirty Other likely reveals deep, social systemic inadequacies and thereby ruptures the collective?s existential confidence and praxeological competence.Item Testing a model of the development of trust in situations of conflicting interests(2007-12) Gray, Christine Robison, 1975-; Surra, Catherine A.The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model that explains how interpersonal trust develops from interactions in personal relationships. The sample consisted of 311 individuals who were randomly recruited with their dating partners for a longitudinal study on dating relationships. Using interdependence theory as a framework, I tested a model of how trust develops from behaviors and attributions in handling situations of conflicting needs, wants, and desires. This model also examined both the direct and indirect effects of two background characteristics, adult attachment style and parental divorce, on beliefs of trust. The model explored whether attributions partially mediated the direct relationship between the background characteristics and trust. Lastly, multiple group analyses explored whether gender and two developmental factors, stage of relationship involvement and developmental change in relationship involvement, moderated the simultaneous relationships among the predictor variables and trust. The analyses testing my model of the development of trust examined two separate outcomes: trust in partners' benevolence and trust in partners' honesty. The results from the path analyses revealed that the data fit the model for trust in partners' benevolence well enough for the importance of the predictors to be interpreted, but did not fit the model for trust in partners' honesty. The findings showed that in the overall model of trust in partners' benevolence, partners' voice and individuals' attributions were significant predictors of trust. The findings for the multiple group comparisons further revealed that the model was not significantly modified by stage of relationship involvement, developmental change in relationship involvement, or gender. A few marginal findings, however, suggest areas for future research.Item The effects of marriage encounter on self-disclosure, trust and marital satisfaction(Texas Tech University, 1979-08) Milholland, Thomas A.The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Marriage Encounter in increasing the amount of couple self-disclosure, level of trust, and marital satisfaction. Seventeen couples participated in a Marriage Encounter weekend, while twenty-three other couples served as a waiting list control group. Results indicated that the experimental group, relative to the control group, significantly increased in: (a) their level of trust, and (b) their level of marital satisfaction. The results were mixed with regard to the hypothesis that individuals attending a Marriage Encounter weekend, relative to a control group, would significantly increase the amount of self-disclosure to their spouse. Discussion centered on the strengths and weaknesses of Marriage Encounter.Item Three Essays on the Impact of Financial Advice(2011-05) Winchester, Danielle D.; Huston, Sandra J.; Hampton, Vickie L.; Finke, Michael S.; Katz, Deena; Ferguson, Ralph E.; Chaffin, CharlesResults from these three essays reveal that financial advice has a valuable impact on client financial decision making and behaviors. Findings from each of these studies can be used in the development of policy aimed at increasing the public’s wellbeing. Prior research contends that the effectiveness of financial literacy lacks support and that it is implausible to educate consumers at a rate consistent with the changing financial marketplace. Thus, creating policies that provide for quality affordable financial advice may be a more viable alternative for increasing consumer financial well-being.