Even-Related Potentials (ERPs) Reveal that Trust and Distrust Differ Between Brands and Political Institutions

Trust and distrust are important topics in the NeuroIS field. They have been described as separate constructs. This study provides evidence that brain activity differences between trust and distrust depend on stimulus category. Brand names and names of political institutions were visually presented to participants, who had to evaluate their individual trust or distrust towards those stimuli. First, it was found that stimulus category alone altered brain activities (ERPs) in frontal regions between approximately 200 and 500 ms, but also that trust and distrust differences were different between both categories. Different brain activities elicited by trusted versus distrusted political institutions occurred dominantly in the left frontal region roughly from 200 to 500 ms peaking at about 330 ms after stimulus onset. On the other hand, different brain activities elicited by trusted versus distrusted brands occurred dominantly in the right frontal region roughly from 700 to 900 ms peaking at about 780 ms after stimulus onset. These opposite hemispheric lateralizations confirm the complexity of trust and distrust. Future studies using ERPs as measures could use other stimuli (for instance related to artificial intelligence or neuroadaptive systems) relevant to the NeuroIS community and thus further our understanding of trust and distrust.