| Consumer behavior now includes notions of privacy, security, technological expertise, information search, and "e-commerce" that just a few years ago might have seemed nonsensical. Hoffman, Novak, and Peralta (1999) report that Internet consumers want "...another type of exchange---characterized by an explicit social contract executed in the context of a cooperative relationship built on trust" (p. 82). This finding recognizes both the uniqueness of the computer-mediated environment and the importance of trust in an Internet relationship. Still, the fields of study examining Internet exchange processes have yet to address these vital issues.; This research furthers the conceptual understanding of trust development in a computer-mediated environment. Specifically, it reports on the processes of signaling, inference making, and trust transference. An Internet-based experiment compares three default-independent, sale-independent market signals, specifically: (1) third-party certifications (i.e., "trustmarks"), (2) objective-source third-party ratings, and (3) implications of heavy investment in advertising. The study also develops a scale to measure subjects' generalized trust of the Internet.; This line of research postulates that the theoretical foundations of affective, behavioral, and cognitive bases of trust can be identified clearly and analyzed discretely. The research hypothesizes that noteworthy differences between the three bases of firmspecific trust will emerge. Moreover, the study hypothesizes disparities between subject groups with varied levels of generalized Internet trust as well as varied levels of experience and proficiency.; Results shed new light on the intricacies of trust development in a computer-mediated environment. The data suggest that consumers evaluate signals very differently with respect to the affective, behavioral, and cognitive bases of trust. Amongst the three signals and across numerous subject groups, the trustmark is most effective in developing trust. Greater levels of experience and proficiency, in general, correlate positively with higher levels of trust. Hypotheses regarding age, gender, and education are partially supported. Older subjects display lower levels of trust, especially in terms of the behavioral base. Male subjects are higher than females in terms of generalized trust of the Internet. Males are also higher in behavior-based trust. Education does have a direct positive relationship with aspects of both firm-specific and generalized trust. |
