2025 Fall Conference - Developmental, Cultural, and Social Perspectives on Institutional Trust Roundtable

This roundtable examines the developmental and social dimensions of trust as a broad concept, beginning with the early establishment of epistemic trust and epistemic vigilance - the psychological processes through which individuals decide when to trust or question information. Bringing together a panel of interdisciplinary scholars and clinicians, the session explores how these mechanisms unfold across the lifespan and within diverse cultural contexts. Panelists will discuss how children, adolescents, and adults learn to evaluate the credibility of knowledge sources, and how these developmental processes intersect with social identity, community belonging, and lived experience. The panel will consider how intersectional identity elements such as race, gender, and sexuality influence experiences of trust and vigilance in social and institutional systems, including mental health settings, church communities, and academic departments, and how marginalized groups navigate conflicting or stigmatizing information and experiences. Overall, the roundtable aims to illuminate how trust in institutions is built, challenged, and sustained across development and across diverse communities and contexts.