Investigated what makes young children acknowledge a false belief held by another person. Showed movies in which a stereotypical item in a familiar box was replaced by one character with an atypical item. Found highly significant improvement in preschoolers' acknowledgment of second character's false belief when preschoolers saw stereotypical…

Examined deception and false-belief understanding in preschoolers following noncompliance. Found that over half of 3- and 5-year olds touched a prohibited toy during experimenter's absence and most denied it. Almost all preschoolers looked into a forbidden box, most denied it, and a minority consistently feigned ignorance of contents. False-belief…

Outlines the long history and the dangers of doublespeak--language that misleads, distorts, and deceives. Offers examples of doublespeak in euphemisms, "gobbledygook," and inflated language. Argues that doublespeak is carefully constructed to appear to communicate when its real purpose is to mislead, and notes its relationship to…

Hypothesizes that participation in the form of dialogic communication confers a net advantage to senders over receivers such that it increases senders' deception success--it reduces receivers' detection of deceit. Concludes that the results support the interactivity principle and interpersonal deception theory, from which the principle emanated.…

This essay provides a rhetorical analysis of the "Wilkomirski" Affair and some of the recent public debates that have discussed the importance of childhood memoirs and the formation of authentic Holocaust identities. The author argues that rhetorical processes are involved in both the construction of what are deemed "authentic" memoirs and the…

This article discusses why children tell a lie and how to help a child develop morality and responsibility for his or her actions. When viewed as part of a child's emotional and intellectual development, it is found that telling lies doesn't condemn a child to a life of betrayal or serious behavior problems. Recent research has shown that lying…

This paper will draw on standard international definitions of "corruption" and apply them to the education sector. It will define corruption in education, explain why it is important, and describe various types of corruption and their causes. Emphasis will be placed on the role of higher education institutions in educational corruption, but the…

Objective: The overriding objective is a critical examination of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) and its closely-related alternative, factitious disorder by proxy (FDBP). Beyond issues of diagnostic validity, assessment methods and potential detection strategies are explored. Methods: A painstaking analysis was conducted of the MSBP and FDBP…

Having grown up in the Native American Church culture in the time when Navajo people were persecuted for practicing this religion, the author states that a great price has been paid to date that allows him to practice his religious freedom and his way of life. Because non native people are selfishly imitating sacred Indigenous ceremonies, they put…

This article discusses the case of Wang Ruiliang. Ms. Huang filed a case against Wang Jun, alleging that he had defrauded her. Ms. Huang met a man named Wang Jun in April 2002 through a certain matrimonial agency. Before they had been together for very long, Wang Jun asked to borrow money from Ms. Huang, claiming that he was having difficulties in…

The author reports the dispute between Hawaii's Office of Consumer Protection and the American Academy for Liberal Education, as well as the supporter of each side, that raises questions of oversight of American accreditors' work with any foreign college. The Chronicle reported that the AALE accredited the American University for Humanities,…

Attractiveness is a facial attribute that shapes human affiliative behaviours. In a previous study we reported a linear response to facial attractiveness in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a region involved in reward processing. There are strong theoretical grounds for the hypothesis that coding stimulus reward value also involves the amygdala. The…

Psychologists have worried about the distortions introduced into standardized personality measures by social desirability bias. Survey researchers have had similar concerns about the accuracy of survey reports about such topics as illicit drug use, abortion, and sexual behavior. The article reviews the research done by survey methodologists on…

The author presents an interview he conducted with Liu Wen (an alias), a teacher suspected of having participated in a scam at Haozhou Normal Junior College, located in the northern part of Anhui province. The dialog centered around the purchase of theses during applications for professional titles. All of the teachers at Haozhou who bought theses…

Student loans are a rapidly growing $85 billion a year industry fueled by the substantial higher economic returns associated with a college education, increased demand from students and their parents, and grant and scholarship funds that have not kept pace with rising school tuition and fees. This report describes federally subsidized and…