Trust Science

The great amorphous illogical gradient: Trust

In machine learning you think of n-variables forming a landscape where there is a degree of correlation on which to predict an outcome.

For the last 20 years; I believe, though its hard to fully quantify, its there. There is a gradient that identifies why we trust what we do. Identifying a person or group of people on that gradient is a billion dollar business. It is fundamental to a society understanding its reasons for being. It’s learned through societal norms. The proof is there. Its seen in the credit scores, propaganda and marketing. Understanding the gradient and the features (data science for variables) that cause it; draws logic from what appears to be illogic, Chaos Theory.

In the book, Trust Theory: A Socio-Cognitive and Computational Model, “trust” is broken down to its definitions and each definition is categorized. That tree could be seen as a Bayesian Decision Tree.

I propose a specialization of Data Science called Trust Science. This is similar to Trust Games in Game Theory. Why? As I said previously “trust” is this thing that appears illogical in many cases but definitely has strong implications on predictions involving relationships. “Trust” is the imaginary number of regression analysis.

If you think about the trust gradient around “masks” in the US. It would appear as 2 separated “wells” in the gradient. To bridge those “wells” their are primary features at play. What are they? Identification of those primary features point to ways of resolving conflict. Data Science is about drawing out knowledge from hidden correlations. Trust Science would be about drawing knowledge from the correlations in the Bayesian Decision Tree for Trust.

Identification of “wells” in the gradient identify beliefs. The deeper the well the more it is bound to a persons sense of who they are. To move them requires a major awakening.

Is it good to have different beliefs? Sure that is called diversity. It’s good when it checks decisions but consensus is reached. It’s bad when those beliefs break into armed camps of immovable resolve.

But trust is this interesting thing. You can gain trust in areas not related to the conflict and that very change adjust the shape of the gradient. You all have done trust building exercises. That is the very basis of those exercises.

What we need are Trust Scientists….