HomeSignals of Trust: An Experimental Study on the Conditions Under Which Trust Translates to Cooperation Liberal Arts Academic Year 2025 Accepted Sociology, Social Psychology, Experimental Social Science Dr. Joshua Doyle (Sociology) is seeking a motivated undergraduate research assistant to help run a behavioral experiment exploring how institutions influence trust and cooperation. The project builds on classic studies in social psychology and economics to examine how one kind of experience—being in a situation where someone could punish you for not cooperating—might shape your willingness to cooperate with others in a totally different setting. In the experiment, participants will first answer questions about how much they trust other people. Then, they will play a version of the “trust game,” where one player decides how much to send to another, knowing that the amount will triple and the second player decides how much to send back. In some versions of the game, the first player has the option to punish the second player if they don’t send enough back. Participants are always in the second-player role. After that, participants will play a public goods game with a new group, deciding how much of their money to contribute to a shared pot that benefits everyone. The main question is: does the experience of being in a trust game with or without punishment affect how generous people are in a later situation with different people? This position is ideal for students interested in social psychology, political behavior, cooperation, or experimental methods. Tasks will include setting up lab sessions, helping run the experiment using LIONESS Lab, and possibly contributing to data cleaning or analysis. Prior experience with research is helpful but not required. Training will be provided. Joshua Franklin Doyle The research assistant will help with setting up and admistering experimental sessions and once the experiment is done, they will aid Dr. Doyle with cleaning the data. Full-time student status (minimum of 12 credit hours) in good academic standing at the West Lafayette campus who are working towards their first bachelor's degree - including PharmD students who have not been awarded a bachelor's degree - for the entire 2025-26 academic year. Work on the same, year-long project for two academic semesters (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026). Students with multiple majors, including the John Martinson Honors College, shall only apply within a single college or school. Purdue Polytechnic Institute projects: Proposed research projects from students in the Polytechnic Institute must align with one or more of the Polytechnic research impact areas: Realizing the Digital Enterprise, Future Work and Learning, and Holistic Safety and Security. Descriptions for each can be found on the Polytechnic research office website. Faculty must describe how proposed projects align with one or more research impact areas. Previous OUR Scholar recipients are not eligible. 0 5 (estimated)