Reasoning About Trust Among Individuals With Williams Syndrome.

Ng et al. (2015) asked adults with Williams syndrome to judge two types of liars. One liar always gave wrong facts. The other liar gave facts that sounded nice but were still false.

The adults listened to stories and picked who they would trust. A control group of typical adults did the same task.

Adults with Williams syndrome distrusted both liars. They did not favor the nice-sounding liar over the plainly wrong one.

This shows they can weigh motives, not just warmth. Their friendly style is not blind trust.

Lough et al. (2016) found the same adults rated themselves as less vulnerable than their parents did. Together the studies show a gap: they feel safe, yet still judge others carefully.

Finke et al. (2017) later used these findings to build a short social-skills class for adults with WS. Knowing that trust judgment is intact lets teachers focus on safety rules, not basic suspicion training.

Lough et al. (2015) reported that youth with WS often invade personal space. Rowena’s adult data help explain why: they approach people, but they still decide who is safe.

You can stop warning clients with Williams syndrome to simply “stay away from strangers.” Instead, teach them how to spot lies and rehearse exit plans. Their trust gauge works; they just need clear rules and practice.