How do people learn to trust others? Why do people in some societies find it easier to follow rules, cooperate, and reach agreements, while in others it is more difficult? And what happens when a society faces uncertainty, a crisis, or a threat? These are precisely the questions addressed by the CORESPOND project, which will be led by Konstantinos Kafetsios from the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Arts, Palacký University, and which has received funding from the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. This type of grant supports globally established scientific leaders with exceptional achievements and ambitious, groundbreaking projects. With a budget of 2.3 million euros, CORESPOND is one of only two ERC Advanced grants awarded to the Czech Republic this year.
The basic idea behind the CORESPOND project is surprisingly simple: the way people in close relationships learn trust, security, or, conversely, uncertainty, may not only affect their personal lives. It can also influence how entire groups and cultures function.
This five-year research project, which will be supported by a budget of 2.3 million euros, is based on attachment theory. This theory describes how people react to uncertainty, stress, or threat depending on whether—and to what extent—they have experienced support from those around them in the past. CORESPOND takes this well-known psychological theory a step further. It examines attachment not merely as an individual’s personality trait, but as a learned behavioural pattern that can be replicated within groups and gradually influence social norms.
“The project will test the hypothesis that these relational patterns are linked to how people trust others, how they follow rules, how they react to rule-breaking, and how they cooperate in situations requiring coordination. In other words: the research team will investigate whether the roots of social cooperation lie deeper than is commonly assumed—not only in values and beliefs, but also in everyday experiences of whether we can rely on others,” explains the project’s principal investigator, Konstantinos Kafetsios.
Migration and the Climate Crisis—How Do Societies Respond to Change?
Methodologically, the project is unique in that it combines laboratory experiments, behavioural design, economic games, international comparisons, and computer modelling. In the first phase, the team will test a new method for measuring relational patterns across four cultures. The research will then be expanded to 17 cultures, and the results will ultimately be validated using data from 53 cultures.
The theoretical contribution of the project lies in offering a new perspective on culture. Rather than explaining differences between societies primarily through values, traditions, or rules, it examines the relational mechanisms that may underlie them. If the hypothesis is confirmed, it will represent a significant shift in our understanding of how trust, cooperation, and social cohesion arise.
“CORESPOND is not just a project, but an extensive research program that elevates the Department of Psychology at Palacký University Olomouc to the ranks of prestigious international research centres,” says ERC consultant Petra Vaculíková, who has long supported researchers at the UP Faculty of Arts in preparing for major research projects.
The research findings will help us better understand why some communities are more resilient to crises than others, how to foster cooperation in multicultural societies, and how to design measures that strengthen trust and cohesion. This is particularly important at a time when societies are facing migration, climate stress, polarisation, and other forms of uncertainty.
The Strength of the Czech Humanities
“Even though we received an ERC Consolidator Grant six months ago, I would venture to say that winning the ERC Advanced Grant is another landmark moment for our faculty. It confirms that Olomouc’s cutting-edge science belongs on the map of Europe,” says Lenka Křupková, Vice Dean for Science and Research at the Faculty of Arts, Palacký University Olomouc.
The success rate in this year’s ERC Advanced Grants call was only 9.8%. Jana Mynářová from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University also succeeded in the call on behalf of the Czech Republic with a historical research topic. “We congratulate our colleague Mynářová in Prague. I would also like to mention that collaboration with colleagues from other universities is a standard part of our preparation process. I am pleased that Professor Kafetsios and Professor Mynářová helped each other during the preparation. The success of our two projects also highlights the high level of the humanities in the Czech Republic,” concludes Jan Stejskal, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Palacký University.