IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/jocore/v31y1987i4p615-630.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trust and the Consumption of a Deteriorating Common Resource

Author

Listed:
  • Peter Brann
  • Margaret Foddy

    (Psychology Department, La Trobe University)

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between generalized expectations about others' behavior (interpersonal trust) and consumption of a regenerating resource in a simulated commons dilemma. Eighty subjects were assigned to one of four feedback conditions in a split-plot factorial design (trust X feedback X blocks). Resources were programmed to deteriorate at four different rates. However, subjects believed they were acting in groups of five, and that resource deterioration was a consequence of the rate of consumption of the resource. When faced with minimal deterioration of the resource pool, subjects increased their consumption over trial blocks; rapid deterioration led to decreased consumption. However, the consumption rate of low trusters was unaffected by the rate at which the resource deteriorated. High trusters consumed more than low trusters when resource deterioration was minimal, but significantly less than low trusters under conditions of rapid deterioration. The results give support to the claim that trust plays an important role in mediating resource consumption in commons dilemmas.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter Brann & Margaret Foddy, 1987. "Trust and the Consumption of a Deteriorating Common Resource," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 31(4), pages 615-630, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:31:y:1987:i:4:p:615-630
    DOI: 10.1177/0022002787031004004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022002787031004004
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0022002787031004004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:31:y:1987:i:4:p:615-630. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://pss.la.psu.edu/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.