Experimental Dataset on the Effects of Perceived Sincerity, Forgiveness, and Interpersonal Relationships on Trust Repair in a Chinese Cultural Context (University Student Sample)

This dataset is based on the experimental research data corresponding to the paper "Sincerity and Forgiveness: Trust Restoration from the Perspective of Bi directional Interaction" submitted to the Journal of Psychology. It includes experimental data files for three main research stages: "Research 1 Data. xlsx", "Research 2 Data. xlsx", and "Research 3 Data. xlsx". All data was collected between 2024 and 2025 through online experimental platforms in multiple universities in China. The study adopted an intra subject/inter subject/mixed experimental design, combined with the trust game paradigm and situational simulation method, to investigate the impact mechanism of perceived sincerity of the violator, forgiveness of the trusting party, and interpersonal relationship closeness on short-term and long-term trust repair behind trust violations. Data generation process and processing Experiment 1 adopted a mixed design of 3 (perceived sincerity level: low, medium, high) × 3 (interpersonal relationships: relatives, acquaintances, strangers), and used G * Power 3.1 for sample size estimation. A total of 90 effective participants were recruited. The data is collected through an online experimental program, which includes behavior measurement and multi-stage questionnaire evaluation modules. Experiment 2 adopts a mixed design of 2 (forgiveness: yes/no) × 3 (interpersonal relationships), with a sample size of 64 people. A situational simulation experiment is used to collect data on the subsequent behavior of the violator. Experiment 3 adopts a mixed design of 3 (perceived sincerity: low, medium, high perceived sincerity) × 3 (interpersonal relationships: family, acquaintances, strangers) factors, with a sample size of 89 people. One invalid participant has been excluded, and data is also collected through an online experimental program. Dataset Content Structure The 'Study 1 Data. xlsx' contains a total of 90 valid records, with each row representing one subject. The column labels cover grouping information, interpersonal relationship scores, investment amounts at each stage, subjective trust scores, forgiveness levels, control variables (trait forgiveness, trust tendency), and other variables. The unit of behavioral investment is "yuan", and the questionnaire rating is based on a 1-5 point or 0-10 point scale. There are no missing values in the data table, and all entries are required. The "Research 2 Data. xlsx" contains 64 records, with column structures including forgiveness groups, interpersonal relationships, perceived forgiveness evaluations, and scores for subsequent acts of kindness. The scoring range is also 0-10 points. The "Study Three Data. xlsx" contains 89 valid records, with each row representing one participant. The column labels cover grouping information, interpersonal relationship scores, investment amounts at each stage, subjective trust scores, forgiveness levels, control variables (trait forgiveness, trust tendency), and other variables. The rest of the data is basically the same as Study One. Data Quality Control All scales in the study, such as the trait forgiveness scale and the trust tendency scale, have undergone reliability testing. During the experiment, the validity of the data was ensured by setting comprehension test questions and behavior pattern screening (such as considering participants who consistently invested 0 yuan in trust games as invalid). Behavioral data and questionnaire data are collected separately over time to reduce common method bias. Each question is set as a mandatory answer, and there is no missing data.