The Calliope lectures on trust and information research are an initiative made possible by the Radboud-Glasgow collaboration fund. This interdisciplinary online lecture series explores the complex dynamics of distrust and disinformation across media, politics, science, and society. Bringing together experts from fields such as communication, psychology, data science, history, and philosophy, the series examines how false narratives take root, why trust erodes, and what can be done to foster resilience and critical thinking in the face of manipulation. Join us for thought-provoking discussions that challenge assumptions and illuminate the forces shaping our collective understanding.
Calliope Lecture: Heuristic Trust: How to trust without really dying, Joachim Krueger
Thursday 7 May 2026, 3 pmThis lecture: Heuristic Trust: How to trust without really dying - Joachim Krueger
Interpersonal trust requires decisions under uncertainty as the probability of the other person reciprocating is unknown and can only be approached with rough estimates. It is difficult, if not impossible, to optimize trust decisions in rigorous and coherent ways. A suite of social heuristics is the trustors’ best means to achieve a satisfactory solution. I review the findings of a recent research program on bounded rationality in the trust game. I identify a set of social heuristics people can (or should) use when deciding whether to trust. Among these heuristics are social projection, social distance, all-or-nothing, and attention to the general normative environment. I present new empirical findings showing how people might choose whether to submit to different types of dictators in the eponymous game.
The full 2025-2026 lecture series
- 13 November 2025, 15:00 CET: Yvette Linders (Modern Languages, Radboud)
- 11 December 2025, 15:00 CET: Christoph Kelp (Philosophy, Glasgow)
- 12 February 2026, 15:00 CET: Jaron Harambam (Sociology, University of Amsterdam)
- 12 March 2026, 15:00 CET: Joseph Uscinsky (Political Science, Miami)
- 7 May 2026, 15:00 CET: Joachim Krueger (Cognitive Science, Brown)
- 15 June 2026: Juliana Schroeder (Management, UC Berkeley)
- 9 July 2026: Nina Poth (Philosophy, Radboud)
Partners
- When
- Thursday 7 May 2026, 3 pm
