Lies to benefit the collective are common in adult contexts; however, less is known about children's willingness to lie for the collective. The present study examined 7- to 11-year-old children's tendency to lie to conceal a group transgression. Children (N = 408) participated in a competition in small groups during which the group leaders…

Recent research shows that most adults admit they lie to children. We also know that children learn through modeling and imitation. To date there are no published studies that examine whether lying to children has an effect on children's honesty. We aimed to bridge the gap in this literature by examining the effects of adults' lies on…

The present investigation examined whether school-aged children and adolescents' own deceptive behavior of cheating and lying influenced their honesty judgments of their same-aged peers. Eighty 8- to 17-year-olds who had previously participated in a study examining cheating and lie-telling behaviors were invited to make honesty judgments of their…

The central goal of this longitudinal study was to develop a laboratory-based index of children's covert cheating behavior that distinguished normative rule violations from those that signal risk for antisocial behavior. Participants (N = 215 children) were drawn from a community population and oversampled for externalizing behavior problems…

The present study examined the developmental origin of "blue lies", a pervasive form of lying in the adult world that is told purportedly to benefit a collective. Seven, 9-, and 11-year-old Chinese children were surreptitiously placed in a real-life situation where they decided whether to lie to conceal their group's cheating behavior. Children…

These 12 monthly issues from 1999 explore problems encountered by children and adolescents. Regular features include "Keep Your Eye On...," brief accounts of research into childhood and adolescent problems; "What's New in Research," summarizing research from recent publications and professional conferences;…

On 2 occasions, observed 22 boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 22 controls in laboratory setting which allowed subjects to steal or cheat. ADHD subjects received methylphenidate-placebo crossover. Laboratory stealing and property damage were positively correlated with maternal and staff ratings of parallel behaviors.…

Middle class Japanese children whose willingness to cheat in a game had been observed at age four were administered a version of a Machiavellianism scale seven years later. Developmental changes in Machiavellianism, sex differences, and belief behavior congruency were considered in the Japanese cultural context. (Author/GC)

Two opposite views of the relations between moral cognition and moral action are described, their contrasting assumptions and implications are clarified, and the available empirical literature is reviewed. Research relating moral reasoning to real-life moral behaviors is summarized, with special attention given to design, measurement, and…

Noting that children want love and acceptance from trustworthy adults, this book reflects upon the destructive impulses that threaten the emotional, physical, and spiritual life of youth and families. The book identifies and describes behaviors that tempt adolescents with instant relief and gratification, but which ultimately lead to feelings of…

Why do some adolescents cheat and others do not? To answer this question, the relationship between motivational factors and self-reported cheating beliefs and behaviors was examined in a sample of early adolescents. It was hypothesized that cheating and beliefs in the acceptability of cheating would be more likely to occur when students perceived…