Child Development Research Group
Institute of Child Study

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About Dr. Kang Lee

DOES YOUR CHILD TELL LIES?
Here are some answers to common questions about children's lies.

After more than a decade of research with over 2000 children we can now answer some of the commonly asked questions about children's lying.

1. When do children begin to tell lies?

Lying occrs quite early in development. By 3 years of age children begin to tell lies to conceal their transgression or white lies to be polite.

2. If my child lies is she/he going to become a chronic liar?

All children tell lies. It is a part of normal development. Very few childre become chronic liars. In fact, lying is a sign of cognitive development.

3. Why do children lie?

Children mostly tell lies to protect themselves. Sometimes, they lie to conform to social rules (e.g., to be polite). Our research shoes that children typically do not lie for their parents even after being coached to do so.

4. Are there any cultural and ethnic differences in lying?

Children all over the world begin to tell lies at about the same age. Younger children in all cultures are motivated to lie for similar reasons (e.g., not to get in trouble). However, older children (around 9-11 years) begin to be influenced by their culture's values about lying in some social situations. For example, Canadian children are more likely to tell lies to protect their friends. In contrast, Chinese children are more likely to tell lies to protect their team.

5. Do children understand the moral and social implications of lying and does this understanding influence their behavior?

Children as young as 3 or 4 years of age begin to understand the negativity of lying to conceal a transgression. They also begin to appreciate the benefit of telling white lies to be polite. With increased age, they also develop a sophisticated understanding of different kinds of lies told with various motivations (e.g., lying to protect a friend or group). However, our research shows that children's actual lieying behavior is often not guided by their moral sense of propriety but by situational factors.

6. Can children's lies be easily detected?

Not really. Our research shows that police officers, lawyers, customs officers, and social workers (but not judges) cannot even detect 3-year-olds' lies by looking at their facial expressions. However, when children are less than 7-8 years of age, their untruthful statements tend to be poorly crafted and thus reveal their deception. After 7-8 years, such verbal statements become increasingly sophisticated, and as a result children's lies become increasingly difficult for adults to detect regardless of professionals training or child care experience.

7. How can I promote truth-telling with my own child?

We recently completed a study looking at whether common stories read to children (ie., the Boy Who Cried Wolf, Pinochio, and George Washington and the Cherry Tree). Our results demonstrated that the only story which increases truth-telling is George Washington and the Cherry Tree. After being read this story, children were more likely to tell the truth than if read any of the other stories. It is possibly the positive message of telling the truth in this story which increases children's truth-telling behaviors (incontrast to the negative reprocussions of lie-telling highlighted in the other stories).

There is still much to know about children's lies. Your participation will help us answer questions such as:

• What other methods will allow us to detect children's lie-telling?
• Can parents detect their own children's lies?
• Can children detect other children's lies?