Psychological Factors Influencing University Students Trust in AI-Based Learning Assistants

TL;DR

This paper explores the psychological factors that influence university students' trust in AI-based learning assistants, emphasizing the importance of trust for ethical and effective use of educational AI tools.

Contribution

It introduces a conceptual framework categorizing psychological predictors of trust into four groups and synthesizes empirical findings through a narrative review.

Findings

Trust is influenced by cognitive, affective, social, and contextual factors.

Individual differences and learning environments significantly shape trust.

The paper proposes research questions for future empirical studies.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) based learning assistants and chatbots are increasingly integrated into higher education. While these tools are often evaluated in terms of technical performance, their successful and ethical use also depends on psychological factors such as trust, perceived risk, technology anxiety, and students general attitudes toward AI. This paper adopts a psychology oriented perspective to examine how university students form trust in AI based learning assistants. Drawing on recent literature in mental health, human AI interaction, and trust in automation, we propose a conceptual framework that organizes psychological predictors of trust into four groups: cognitive appraisals, affective reactions, social relational factors, and contextual moderators. A narrative review approach synthesizes empirical findings and derives research questions and hypotheses for future studies. The paper highlights that trust in AI is a psychological process shaped by individual differences and learning environments, with practical implications for instructors, administrators, and designers of educational AI systems.