The influence of an older sibling on preschoolers’ lie‐telling behavior

Abstract

In the present study, children's (2-to 5-years old) lie-telling was examined in relation to theory of mind (first-order false belief understanding), executive functioning (measuring inhibitory control in conjunction with working memory), and presence of siblings in the home (no siblings vs. siblings; younger siblings vs. older siblings). Lie-telling was observed using a temptation resistance paradigm. Overall, of the 152 (74.9%) children who peeked at the toy, 73 (48%) lied during the temptation resistance paradigm. Children with higher scores on measures of first-order false belief understanding, and measures that relied on inhibitory control, were more likely to lie compared to their truthful counterparts. Additionally, children with older siblings were more likely to lie to the research assistant, and this relationship was independent of performance on cognitive tasks.Overall, results demonstrate that having an older sibling has an independent, direct effect on the development of young children's lie-telling abilities, irrespective of cognitive ability. These findings support the argument that lie-telling is a behavior that is facilitated by both cognitive and social factors. K E Y W O R D Stheory of mind, deception, executive function, siblings

29-72 aylık çocukların olumsuz ve prososyal yalan söyleme davranışlarının incelenmesi

“…When the results were first evaluated in terms of antisocial lies, it was found that a 34-month-old child in the present study acquired the ability to lie on a subject that required him to hide the rule violation, although it was observed that most of the 2-year-old children confessed when they turned their backs or waited. This situation is consistent in many studies conducted abroad (e.g., Nagar, Williams and Talwar, 2019;O'Connor and Evans, 2018). Many researchers (see Ekman, 2016) stated that children started to tell simple lies (such as covering up their mistakes, to avoid punishment) from 30 months.…”

Understanding the development of honesty in children through the domains‐of‐socialization approach

“…However, the same abilities that allow children to tell plausible lies also facilitate the socialization process. For example, inhibitory control, working memory, verbal abilities, and theory‐of‐mind skills, all of which facilitate lie‐telling (Evans & Lee, 2011; Evans, Xu, & Lee, 2011; Nagar et al, 2019; Talwar, Crossman, & Wyman, 2017; Williams, 2015), also allow children to better understand what their parents teach them, attain goals without using deception, and refrain from engaging in behaviours forbidden by their parents. As such, an autonomy‐supportive style will likely foster honesty in the long run.…”

“…The emergence of lie‐telling in children is a developmental milestone, as children need to develop various cognitive abilities to lie effectively (Ma, Evans, Liu, Luo, & Xu, 2015; Nagar, Williams, & Talwar, 2019; Talwar & Crossman, 2011; Talwar & Lee, 2008a). Children's first lies are told to avoid punishment or to appear obedient (DePaulo & Jordan, 1982) and usually appear as children develop a sense of self (Talwar & Lee, 2008a).…”