P~ychologicalReports, 1977, 41, 1165-1166. @ Psychological Reports 1977
INTERPERSONAL TRUST, TRUSTWORTHINESS AND SHOPLIFTING IN HIGH SCHOOL THOMAS L. W R I G H T Catholic University of Americrr
AND
AFSHAN KIRMANl University of Conneclrcut
Sr~mmwy.-Scores of 106 male and 108 female high school students on Rotter's trust scale and self-reports of anti-social behavior and shoplifting indicated scores on Rotter's scale were related to self-reported untrustworthy behavior for girls. Low trusters more than high trusters tended to perceive others as distrusting students. Data are discussed in terms of the literature. Rotter (6, 7 ) defined interpersonal trust as an expectancy that other people can be believed or relied upon and developed the Interpersonal Trust Scale to measure individual differences in interpersonal trust. One of several areas of studies on construct validity with Rorter's scale is the relationship of trust and trustworthiness. Among peers who had lived together for six months, peer ratings of trust and trustworthiness were related to scores on the scale ( 6 ) . Rotter's scale was negatively related to lying in three different paradigms. High trusters lied less than low trusters in notes or tips they sent in a stock market game ( 4 ) , in initial intention notes in a communication prisoner's dilemma game ( 8 ) and in admitting to an experimenter that they had been suspicious in an earlier part of an experiment in which they had behaviorally indicated suspicion ( 3 ) . Boroto, in a study reported by Rotter ( 7 ) , found that high trusters were less likely than low trusters to invade the experimenter's privacy by looking at a file of information about themselves or a file of nude pictures while the experimenter was out of the room. Thus in several settings low trusters have indicated that they are less trustworthy than high trusters and particularly that their word cannot be relied upon. Ferguson, Farley, and Hsnlon' developed a shoplifting questionnaire to study the relationship of shoplifting and other snti-social behavior to attitudes toward shoplifting, peer and family pressure, and specific stores in a community. The present study was designed to test whether high and low trusters differed on shoplifting and attitudes related ta shoplifting. Subjects were 106 male and 108 female high school students at a university high school in the northeastern United States. They completed a questionnaire in their social studies classes anonymously to help one of their peers with her class project. The questionnaire included Rotter's trust scale, self-reported anti-social and shoplifting behavior, and attitudes toward shoplifting, peer and family pressure. Subjects were divided into high and low trusters on the basis of a median split at 68 on the Interpersonal Trust Scale. Analyses of self-reported shoplifting indicated that a greater proportion of males ( 6 2 % ) reported shoplifting than females (43%; x 2 = 9.11, P .01). There was no d~fferencebetween the proportion of male low trusters ( 6 3 % ) and male high trusters ( 6 1 % ) who reported shoplifting. However, among females, a greater proportion of .01). low trusters ( 5 6 % ) reported shoplifting than high trusters (30%; X' = 6.87, 9 One item with psrticular relevance for trust was whether students felt that people in the two surrounding communities distrust students. A greater proportion of low trusters
INTERPERSONAL TRUST, TRUSTWORTHINESS AND SHOPLIFTING IN HIGH SCHOOL THOMAS L. W R I G H T Catholic University of Americrr
AND
AFSHAN KIRMANl University of Conneclrcut
Sr~mmwy.-Scores of 106 male and 108 female high school students on Rotter's trust scale and self-reports of anti-social behavior and shoplifting indicated scores on Rotter's scale were related to self-reported untrustworthy behavior for girls. Low trusters more than high trusters tended to perceive others as distrusting students. Data are discussed in terms of the literature. Rotter (6, 7 ) defined interpersonal trust as an expectancy that other people can be believed or relied upon and developed the Interpersonal Trust Scale to measure individual differences in interpersonal trust. One of several areas of studies on construct validity with Rorter's scale is the relationship of trust and trustworthiness. Among peers who had lived together for six months, peer ratings of trust and trustworthiness were related to scores on the scale ( 6 ) . Rotter's scale was negatively related to lying in three different paradigms. High trusters lied less than low trusters in notes or tips they sent in a stock market game ( 4 ) , in initial intention notes in a communication prisoner's dilemma game ( 8 ) and in admitting to an experimenter that they had been suspicious in an earlier part of an experiment in which they had behaviorally indicated suspicion ( 3 ) . Boroto, in a study reported by Rotter ( 7 ) , found that high trusters were less likely than low trusters to invade the experimenter's privacy by looking at a file of information about themselves or a file of nude pictures while the experimenter was out of the room. Thus in several settings low trusters have indicated that they are less trustworthy than high trusters and particularly that their word cannot be relied upon. Ferguson, Farley, and Hsnlon' developed a shoplifting questionnaire to study the relationship of shoplifting and other snti-social behavior to attitudes toward shoplifting, peer and family pressure, and specific stores in a community. The present study was designed to test whether high and low trusters differed on shoplifting and attitudes related ta shoplifting. Subjects were 106 male and 108 female high school students at a university high school in the northeastern United States. They completed a questionnaire in their social studies classes anonymously to help one of their peers with her class project. The questionnaire included Rotter's trust scale, self-reported anti-social and shoplifting behavior, and attitudes toward shoplifting, peer and family pressure. Subjects were divided into high and low trusters on the basis of a median split at 68 on the Interpersonal Trust Scale. Analyses of self-reported shoplifting indicated that a greater proportion of males ( 6 2 % ) reported shoplifting than females (43%; x 2 = 9.11, P .01). There was no d~fferencebetween the proportion of male low trusters ( 6 3 % ) and male high trusters ( 6 1 % ) who reported shoplifting. However, among females, a greater proportion of .01). low trusters ( 5 6 % ) reported shoplifting than high trusters (30%; X' = 6.87, 9 One item with psrticular relevance for trust was whether students felt that people in the two surrounding communities distrust students. A greater proportion of low trusters
