Hello mikeginnyc,
Based on the results of my research for reports or studies on lying in
children, it appears that children do have the capacity to lie at the
age of five.
From the Erikson Institute Graduate School in Childhood Development:
“For a long time, conventional child development knowledge held that
young children are not cognitively capable of lying. Recent research,
however, has found that most children learn to lie between the ages of
two and four.”
(..)
“The lies of the two-year-old and the lies of a four-year-old are
markedly different, however, and the difference illustrates the
child’s developing cognitive mastery. Children become better at lying
as they come to understand the difference between what you believe and
what they believe.”
(..)
“By age four, children know the difference between telling the truth
or a lie and know it’s wrong to lie.”
(..)
“By age four or five, children understand the effects of a false
message on a listener’s mind. They recognize that the listener will
interpret and evaluate a statement in the light of his existing
knowledge. Thus children’s emerging ability to understand false
beliefs assists them in their lying efforts and with understanding the
implications of lying.”
Souce: Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/erikson.asp?file=qa&qid=2
========================================================
Queen's child psychologists launched an experiment to test
whether children would willingly tell white lies, and at what age and
the findings are that three-year-olds and 11-year olds showed an equal
ability to lie.
“Ms. Murphy, who is now studying for her doctorate in clinical
psychology at the University of New Brunswick, conducted the study
as a student at Queen's University, along with Queen's psychology
professor Kang Lee and Victoria Talwar, a Queen's PhD student.
Most startling, said Ms. Murphy, is that three-year-olds and
11-yearolds showed an equal ability to lie about liking the soap, so
as not to offend the adult who gave it to them. "The age factor was
surprising to us," she said. "I really expected three-year-olds not to
lie so easily. But there were a good number of liars at all age
groups."
2003 National Post
http://www.oacas.org/whatsnew/newsstories/03/feb/18preschoolerslie.pdf
Dr. Kang Lee, professor Queen's University who also participated in
the above study stated that not only do children tell white lies –
they tell them well.
Four hundred boys and girls between the ages of three and 11
participated in this experiment.
“The results of the study are significant, Lee said. Not only does it
debunk the myth about kids being unabashed truth tellers, it shows
that parents need to rethink the way they teach their children about
telling fibs, he said.”
“Anyone interested in participating in the ongoing study can call Lee
or Talwar at 533-6000 ext. 77897 or at 539-5437.”
Queen’s University
http://qsilver.queensu.ca/law/witness/dokidslie.htm
You may view the abstract of this study at the National Center for
Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine
(NLM), located at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Law Hum Behav. 2002 Aug;26(4):395-415
Children's conceptual knowledge of lying and its relation to their
actual behaviors: implications for court competence examinations.
Talwar V, Lee K, Bala N, Lindsay RC.
Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario,
Canada.
“Most children demonstrated appropriate conceptual knowledge of lying
and truth-telling and the obligation to tell the truth, but many of
the same children lied to conceal their own transgression.”
“Both measures of lying and understanding of truth- and lie-telling
were obtained from children between 3 and 7 years of age.”
National Library of Medicine: Journal Article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12182530&dopt=Abstract
========================================================
Michael Lewis, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Director
of The Institute for the Study of Child Development at UMDNJ- Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School has been studying kids’ behavior from
infancy to adolescence for decades in controlled laboratory settings.
He states:
".. by age 2 to 3 years, 70 percent of all children lie very well," he
says.
“Lewis’ research has shown that, "if children don’t lie to protect
themselves, something is wrong." Data suggests that children who can’t
lie "have lower IQs and are less well adjusted. So any parent who
thinks his or her child should always tell the truth is in for a
surprise," Lewis says.”
(..)
"Lying has a universal feature" with little cultural difference. When
placed in similar circumstances, even Japanese preschoolers, who are
more obedient than their American counterparts, lie just as quickly
when they do give in to temptation or misbehave. Lewis and his
associates have also been asking, "Do children know they are doing
something wrong when they lie?" For the truth, the researchers went
straight to the videotapes looking for nonverbal clues. The facial
expressions of "discomfort and regret," after being caught in a
forbidden act, were immediately apparent "even in children at very
young ages." Rather than being atypical behaviors, Lewis concludes,
"Lying and deception are natural."
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
http://www.umdnj.edu/umcweb/hstate/summer01/pulse/pulse12_lying.htm
========================================================
University of Cincinnati: e-briefings
Behavioral scientist Wendy Gamble, associate professor at the
University of Arizona, studies children and lying. Among the findings
of Gamble's study last year:
“The sheer numbers and types of lies increase as children mature;
however, most lies are told to "benefit" another or to protect
someone's feelings (pro-social lies).”
“Children tell more pro-social lies to peers. They tell more selfish
(ie, to conceal a misdeed or protect the self at the expense of
another) and self-enhancement (avoid embarrassment, disapproval or
punishment) lies to their mothers.”
“There was no gender difference in the numbers and types of lies
told.”
“Children did tell the truth more often than they lied.”
She goes on to say:
“Children show a surprisingly sophisticated understanding of lying as
a communication and relationship tool.”
"Children are very savvy in using deceit to preserve and maintain
relationships. They learn that this behavior helps avoid conflict."
They also weigh the consequences of getting caught. "In deciding to
tell the truth or lie, children think through what the other person
might think if they find out. Even young children (6-8 years old)
consider the impact and consequences. They understand the trust issues
that are involved. Children know it's risky and can be very harmful to
relationships." Contact: 520-621-7138
University of Cincinnati: e-briefings
http://www.uc.edu/news/ebriefs/lie.htm
========================================================
More on Wendy Gamble’s study:
“A recent University of Arizona study on lying in children reveals
that lying increases as children age, and that the majority of these
are pro-social, or “white lies,” intended to benefit or help others.”
“Preliminary results from the audiotaped, transcribed interviews show
that truth-telling exceeded lying for all of the children, but lying
increased with age, and the lies were mostly pro-social (designed to
benefit someone.) Very few of the lies were anti-social (deliberately
hurtful to others”
“Reasons for lying:
Pro-social: Lying to protect someone, to benefit or help
others.
Self-enhancement: Lying to save face, avoid embarrassment,
disapproval or punishment. These lies are not intended to hurt anyone,
rather they benefit the self.
Selfish: Lying to protect the self at the expense of another,
and/or to conceal a misdeed.
Anti-social: Lying to hurt someone else intentionally.”
The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2000/childrenlying.pdf
========================================================
Dr. Thomas A. Houle of Houle Psychology Clinic:
“There is also convincing research suggesting that lying is not
uncommon in children.”
“The famed California Growth Study, conducted several decades ago,
revealed that more than one-third of girls ages three and one half to
six engage in lying. After age six less than one-third of girls lie.
One-third of the boys between ages three and one half and eight also
lie. After age eight less than one third of the boys lie.”
Note: I was not able to locate a copy of the California Growth Study.
“Dr. Stouthamer-Loeber reveals lying continues throughout childhood
but in fewer children. According to her review, parents report
nineteen percent of children lie while teachers report fourteen
percent are so inclined. And only three percent of children are
considered chronic liars.”
Psychologists Helen and John Krumboltz state "lying serves two
purposes: Lying to gain rewards and lying to avoid punishment.”
Houle Psychology Clinic
http://www.drhoule.com/column1.htm
========================================================
A study by the American Academy of Child Psychiatry found 36% of the
charges involving children’s testimony about sexual abuse in custody
battles were later proved untrue.
“Children as young as 2 can distinguish between what happened and what
didn’t happen. Children aged 6-12 are no more prone to confuse fact
and fantasy than adults.”
“And they can recognize the difference between a lie and a mistake,
but they often label mistakes and lies inconsistently (unreliably)
until about age 10.”
University of Texas
http://www.utexas.edu/courses/spe367/ppt/55CHILDREN'S%20TESTIMONY.ppt
========================================================
National Library of Medicine: Journal Article Abstract
Dev Psychol. 1999 Mar;35(2):561-8.
Deception by young children following noncompliance.
Polak A, Harris PL.
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United
Kingdom.
“In Study 1, 3- and 5-year-olds were asked not to touch a toy in the
experimenter's absence. Just over half of the children touched the
toy, and of those children, the majority denied having done so. Of
control children who were given permission to touch the toy, all
touched it and admitted having done so.”
“In Study 2, 3- and 5-year-olds were asked not to look in a box to
identify its contents. Almost all children looked, most denied having
looked, and a minority consistently feigned ignorance of the
contents.”
(..)
“The studies confirm that preschoolers deceive in the context of a
minor misdemeanor but are less effective at feigning ignorance.”
National Library of Medicine: PubMed indexed for Medline
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10082026&dopt=Abstract
========================================================
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Volume 83, Issue 2 , October 2002, Pages 131-147
Kamala London and Narina Nunezb
“This study investigated whether children's ability to reason about
truths and lies influenced their truth-telling behavior.
Four–six-year-old children (n=118) played a game that was intended to
motivate children to use deception to hide a minor transgression.”
National Library of Medicine: PubMed indexed for Medline
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12408959&dopt=Abstract
========================================================
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1991 Apr;12(2):121-8.
Children on the stand: the obligation to speak the truth.
Burton RV, Strichartz AF.
Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Buffalo
“The competence of young children to testify as witnesses in a court
of law, especially with regard to the obligation to speak the truth,
is examined.”
(..)
“From available evidence, we conclude that young children consistently
judge lying solely on whether what is said agrees with external facts
regardless of inferred intent or belief of the speaker. Further, young
children are less willing to lie because of extenuating circumstances
than are older children and adults.”
National Library of Medicine: PubMed indexed for Medline
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2045485&dopt=Abstract
========================================================
Sensitively Assessing Children’s Testimonial Competence Study, 1997
Dataset Number: 81
Investigator(s): Saywitz, K. & Lyon, T.
“Two groups of children were tested: one group (352 children) were
maltreated children under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County
juvenile court, and the other group (123 children) were non-referred
children attending a university preschool.”
“The results show that young maltreated child most maltreated children
understand the meaning and morality of lying by age 5 and young child
witnesses may not understand the request "promise to tell the truth."
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu/NDACAN/Datasets/Abstracts/DatasetAbstract_81.html
========================================================
Children and Lying
“Young children (ages 4-5) often make up stories and tell tall tales.
This is normal activity because they enjoy hearing stories and making
up stories for fun. These young children may blur the distinction
between reality and fantasy.”
“An older child or adolescent may tell a lie to be self-serving (e.g.
avoid doing something or deny responsibility for their actions).
Parents should respond to isolated instances of lying by talking with
the youngster about the importance of truthfulness, honesty and
trust.”
Taken from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
http://www.nodeception.com/articles/children.htm
========================================================
Arnold Goldberg, a psychiatrist from Rush Medical College in Chicago,
sees a normal aspect to lying.
"Lying is as much a part of normal growth and development as telling
the truth.
“One study was done with three-year-olds, setting an attractive toy
behind their back, but asking them not to look at it while the
experimenter leaves the room. Essentially, children lie for the same
reason that adults do – to avoid punishment, to get what they want and
to make excuses for themselves.”
Arizona Western College: Psychology Department
http://www3.azwestern.edu/psy/dgershaw/lol/LieNormal.html
========================================================
“By about age 2.5-3 about 70% of children are capable of lying, and
some can do it well. At age four, they will peek when told not to do
so. Young children will lie about actions, but not about how they
feel. By age 10 they are more sophisticated because they can pretend.”
The College of St. Scholastica
http://www.css.edu/users/dswenson/web/OB/lying.html
========================================================
For further reading:
Why do children lie?
Dr. Conner is a clinical psychologist who completed a research and
training fellowship in graduate medical education and health
education.
“Why do children lie? Understanding the relationship between fear and
lying is one of the best ways to deal with children if they start
lying. Children lie because they are afraid to tell the truth or face
the truth. Children who lie have usually had experiences where they
subsequently learned that telling the truth is more uncomfortable than
lying. Most of the time children first learn to lie by watching their
friends, family or strangers lie.”
http://www.crisiscounseling.com/Articles/FearAnxietyPhobiaLying.htm
Insights for Parents: WHY CHILDREN LIE by Dr. Lawrence Kutner Ph.D
http://www.drkutner.com/articles/lying.html
Child's Compulsive Lying: An article written by Dr. Timothy Quek
http://www.nodeception.com/articles/children_compulsive.htm
Antecedents to Lying and Teaching the Truth by Deborah Hage, MSW
http://web.archive.org/web/20020124015504/http://www.fosterparents.com/DHage.html
Search Criteria:
Lying in children site:.edu
Children lie report OR study
Lying in children report OR study
Children’s understanding of lies and truth site:.edu
Children capable of lying
I hope the above information meet your needs.If anything is unclear or
if a link does not function, please let me know and I'll be glad to
offer further assistance.
Best Regards,
Bobbie7 |
