Scientists have pinpointed the age kids become “cunning little lairs,” as the lead author of a new study put it.
Researchers in the study, which was published in the Cognitive Development journal earlier this month, asked parents of more than 750 children about their kids’ deceptive behavior. The children were aged up to 47 months old (or almost 4 years old) and were based in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.
Some parents said their child first recognized the concept of deception as early as 8 months old. Around a quarter of kids started to understand the concept by 10 months old, and half started to get it by 16 months old. By the time the kids are 3 years old, they become more skillful fibbers.
“It was fascinating to uncover how children’s understanding and usage of deception evolves from a surprisingly young age and builds in their first years so they become quite adept and cunning ‘little liars,’” the study’s lead author, Elena Hoicka, a professor of education at the University of Bristol, said in a press release.
“As a mother of three children myself, I can certainly vouch for how artful and wily they can be. Hiding under the table or in the bathroom to eat sweets or chocolate is their common ploy,” Hoicka added.
Researchers identified 16 different types of deception, including denial, exaggeration and distraction.
Hoicka explained that from around two years, deception tends to be action-based, or require only basic responses, such as, “pretending not to hear their parent say ‘time to tidy up’, hiding things from others, or denial – such as eating chocolate but shaking head to say ‘no’ when asked if they ate chocolate.”
“It could also extend to doing forbidden activities in secret, for example looking in a bag they were told not to look in when no one is apparently watching or making excuses, such as claiming to need the toilet when asked to tidy up,” the professor said.
As the child gets older, they engage in more complex deception.
“This could mean exaggerating, such as saying ‘I ate all my peas’ when they only ate a quarter, understatement or indeed complete fabrication such as telling a lie like ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’, as well as pretending not to know, see, or understand.
“They also start to withhold information, for instance accurately telling their parents their sibling hit them, while leaving out the fact that they hit their sibling first,” Hoicka added. “Three-year-olds also start to use distraction, like telling someone to ‘Look over there!’ when they want to do something they’re not supposed to.”
