LAUSR

Abstract Individuals often have to decide whether to trust others at zero or little acquaintance. In this instance, individuals rely on social stereotypes as a guide to their trust decisions. Yet little is known regarding how social cues lead to trust. The present research examines the stereotype-based social identification mechanism through which the facial trustworthiness of a group of strangers determines an individual's trust toward the group. Two experimental studies showed that group warmth (rather than competence or dominance) stereotypes and subsequent self-group merging (inclusion of the group in the self-representation) fully mediated the effect of group facial trustworthiness on trust toward the group at zero acquaintance, whether the level of trust was linked with pecuniary rewards or not. The current findings contribute to the emerging literature on trust at zero or little acquaintance.