Children who say blunt truths like “I don’t want this present-it’s ugly!” are judged more harshly by adults than those who bend the truth to be polite or protect others, according to a new research.
The findings of the study were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Moral Education, and it demonstrates the mixed messages that adults are giving children about lying versus telling the truth in different contexts.
“This research tends to show there exists a complicated relationship with the truth that children must navigate to learn what is socially acceptable,” explains lead author Dr Laure Brimbal from the School of Criminal Justice & Criminology, at Texas State University.
“Most parents will have been embarrassed or upset by their children’s brutal honesty at some point. Learning to tell lies is a normal part of children’s social development. “
She adds, “Children are taught that lying is wrong; nevertheless, they develop the ability to tell lies from an early age. To date, we know little about the mechanisms and processes that underlie the development and shaping of the critical social skill of prosocial lying, despite conflicting messages from adults about the acceptability of lying as opposed to truth-telling.
What the results reveal is that children are learning about honesty in a complicated environment. It appears to be an important social skill to lie to fit in with others’ expectations.