Measuring Trust: Experiments and Surveys in Contrast and Combination

Trust is a concept that has attracted - significant attention in economic theory and research within the last two decades: it has been applied in a number of contexts and has been investigated both as an explanatory and as a dependent variable. In this paper, we explore the questions of what exactly is measured by the diverse survey-derived scales and experiments claiming to measure trust, and how these different measures are related. Using nationally representative data, we test a commonly used experimental measure of trust for robustness to a number of interferences, finding it to be mostly unsusceptible to stake size, the extent of strategy space, the use of the strategy method, and the characteristics of the experimenters. Inspired by criticism of the widespread trust question used in many surveys, we created a new, improved survey trust scale consisting of three short statements. We show that the dimension of this scale is distinct from trust in institutions and trust in known others. Our new scale is a valid and reliable measure of trust in strangers. The scale is valid in the sense that it correlates with trusting behaviour in the experiment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the test-retest reliability of six weeks is high. The experimental measure of trust is, on the other hand, not significantly correlated with trust in institutions nor with trust in known others. We therefore conclude that the experimental measure of trust refers not to trust in a general sense, but specifically to trust in strangers.Trust, experiment, survey, representativity, SOEP

Measuring Trust: Experiments and Surveys in Contrast and Combination

Trust is a concept that has attracted significant attention in economic theory and research within the last two decades: it has been applied in a number of contexts and has been investigated both as an explanatory and as a dependent variable. In this paper, we explore the questions of what exactly is measured by the diverse survey-derived scales and experiments claiming to measure trust, and how these different measures are related. Using nationally representative data, we test a commonly used experimental measure of trust for robustness to a number of interferences, finding it to be mostly unsusceptible to stake size, the extent of strategy space, the use of the strategy method, and the characteristics of the experimenters. Inspired by criticism of the widespread trust question used in many surveys, we created a new, improved survey trust scale consisting of three short statements. We show that the dimension of this scale is distinct from trust in institutions and trust in known others. Our new scale is a valid and reliable measure of trust in strangers. The scale is valid in the sense that it correlates with trusting behaviour in the experiment. Both survey and experimental measure correlate with related factors such as risk aversion, being an entrepreneur or a shareholder. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the survey measure's test-retest reliability (six weeks) is high. The experimental measure of trust is, on the other hand, not significantly correlated with trust in institutions nor with trust in known others. We conclude that the experimental measure of trust refers not to trust in a general sense, but specifically to trust in strangers.representativity, survey, experiment, trust, SOEP

Die Messung individueller Vergebungstendenz im SOEP: Skaleneigenschaften der deutschen Version der Tendency-to-Forgive-Scale

This documentation presents the scale characteristics of a new scale measuring people's tendency to forgive. The tendency to forgive is understood here as an individual disposition to forgive other people when one has suffered injustice or harm from them. The scale is a German translation of a scale already validated in the USA. The scale was first tested in the 2009 SOEP Pretest (N=1,007) and showed satisfactory reliability and validity under the typical conditions of population surveys (low number of items, high heterogeneity of respondents). The convergent validity was tested based on the Big Five Personality dimensions as well as a scale measuring reciprocal behavior. Based on the satisfactory results from the pretest, the scale was included in 2010 in the main SOEP survey (N=18,913). Our evaluation of the reliability and factor structure using data from the main survey confirmed the results from the pretest.

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) airway effects and dose-responses in different animal models

Many inhalation exposure studies have been performed with toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in different animal species. Many were targeted at respiratory irritation and/or sensitisation. As there is still no broadly accepted guideline for the performance of respiratory sensitisation tests, protocols used and endpoints investigated are numerous. In this review we collected data from those respiratory sensitisation and/or irritation studies that provided threshold or doseresponse information. Against this aim, and as TDI is a model substance for a respiratory sensitiser, a great number of mechanistic studies are not cited in this paper, although they were checked for relevant information. The literature data available allow the conclusion that both respiratory irritation and sensitisation may be interdependent, and both irritation and sensitisation by TDI is a threshold phenomenon. Across species, the majority of NOAECs for respiratory sensitisation are in the range of 0.005 to 0.03 ppm, whereas the LOAEC is about 0.02 to 0.4 ppm

Biological Functions of RBP4 and Its Relevance for Human Diseases

Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is a member of the lipocalin family and the major transport protein of the hydrophobic molecule retinol, also known as vitamin A, in the circulation. Expression of RBP4 is highest in the liver, where most of the body's vitamin A reserves are stored as retinyl esters. For the mobilization of vitamin A from the liver, retinyl esters are hydrolyzed to retinol, which then binds to RBP4 in the hepatocyte. After associating with transthyretin (TTR), the retinol/RBP4/TTR complex is released into the bloodstream and delivers retinol to tissues via binding to specific membrane receptors. So far, two distinct RBP4 receptors have been identified that mediate the uptake of retinol across the cell membrane and, under specific conditions, bi-directional retinol transport. Although most of RBP4's actions depend on its role in retinoid homeostasis, functions independent of retinol transport have been described. In this review, we summarize and discuss the recent findings on the structure, regulation, and functions of RBP4 and lay out the biological relevance of this lipocalin for human diseases