The factors of increase in trust and decrease in distrust of human to technique

Abstract

Results of a research of factors causing changes of trust and distrust of a human to the equipment are presented. Author's approach to studying of trust and distrust to the equipment as rather independent psychological relations is reasonable. The empirical research of factors of increase in trust and decrease in distrust to the equipment on selection of 1141 people who are carrying out interaction with it in various spheres of activity is conducted. It is shown that changes of trust and distrust to the equipment can be caused by various combinations of general and specific factors. General factors cause the interconnected changes of trust and distrust to the equipment in the field of consideration by their dependent and opposite relations (the level of one relation decreases at increase in level of another). Specific factors cause the changes of trust and distrust which aren't connected among themselves to the equipment in the field of consideration by their independent relations (any combinations in changes of their orientation are possible). The conclusion is drawn that influence of set of general and specific factors allows reaching different combinations of levels of trust and distrust to the equipment and gives the chance of their purposeful change. The empirical data confirming that factors causing changes of trust and distrust to the equipment in subjects having various statuses in relation to the equipment (the user or the operator, the professional or the fan, etc.) differ are provided. It is noted that increase in trust and decrease in distrust is more often connected with improvement of its operational and technical characteristics for persons operating the equipment in professional activity; appearance improvement, increase in comfort, predictability of service conditions of the equipment, overcoming own negative experiences concerning interaction with it matters for users. It is noted that the accounting of general and specific factors at design of difficult technical objects may promote purposeful management of the relations of trust and distrust of the human to the equipment for optimization of human-to-machine interaction.