A Temporal-Attribution Account of Trust Repair: Initial Trustworthiness and Apology Timing

Abstract: We develop a temporal-attribution account of trust repair grounded in attribution theory. After a trust violation, we argue that victims’ causal attributions shift over time, altering how an apology is interpreted and influencing its effectiveness. Initial trustworthiness sets both the starting point and the likelihood of this shift. Across three negotiation experiments (N = 1,293), we vary when apologies are delivered and when trustworthiness is assessed. In Study 1, an immediate apology repairs trust only when initial trustworthiness is high. In Study 2, the early benefit of an immediate apology fades over time, particularly for initially trusted transgressors. In Study 3, delaying an apology produces the strongest end-state repair across trust levels. Together, the findings reframe trust repair as a time-dependent attributional process.

Keywords: Time, Apology, Trust, Trust Repair, Attribution Theory