Children start lying at a very early age. New research is trying to determine exactly when children use deception to conceal the truth. To do this, children are asked to play a game with a researcher. During the game, children are told not to look at a toy that has been placed behind them. As planned, the researcher becomes distracted, giving the children a chance to peek at the toy. After breaking the rules, the children are asked if they looked at the toy. What does the research reveal?
“In summary, we demonstrated for the first time experimentally that children begin to tell lies as young as 2 years of age, but most 2-year-olds are still highly honest. Within a 1-year span, children become more inclined to lie about their transgression.” The full study can be found here.
