Abstract for: A Feedback Theory of Trust and Confidence in Government

A feedback-intensive theory of trust and confidence in government is presented. In this theory, a distinction between trust and confidence is proposed, which links trust to behavior (action) and confidence to performance (outcomes). In addition, on the basis of findings from the literature on cognitive psychology, a perception-formation process that includes the role of attention, memory, and expectations is used to enrich the understanding of the evolution of trust, confidence, and learning under conditions of uncertainty.