Timothy W. Shields

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About

Timothy W. Shields is a behavioral economist whose research explores the psychological and economic dimensions of trust, particularly in emerging human-machine interactions. His work bridges experimental economics and social psychology to examine how people extend—or withhold—trust when dealing with humans, robots, and cyborgs. Shields’ most-cited paper, “Trust in humans and robots: Economically similar but emotionally different” (2020, 78 citations), demonstrates that while individuals behave similarly in trust-based economic games with human and robotic partners, their emotional responses differ markedly—revealing a critical gap between rational decision-making and affective experience. This finding has profound implications for designing trustworthy autonomous systems and understanding human-robot collaboration. In his related work, “Trust in Humans, Robots, and Cyborgs: Treated the Same, but Experienced Differently” (2018), Shields extends this framework to cyborg-like entities, further underscoring the nuanced role of perceived agency and emotion in trust formation. By combining rigorous experimental methods with real-world relevance, Shields offers valuable insights for economists, roboticists, and policymakers navigating an increasingly automated world.