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Updated: Oct 2, 2025
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An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
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Lie-telling for personal gain in children with and without externalizing behavior problems.
Victoria Talwar1, Jennifer Lavoie2
1Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|February 26, 2022
Summary
Children with externalizing problems lie more often but are less skilled at it. Lower theory-of-mind abilities correlate with increased deceptive behavior in children.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Limited research exists on the lie-telling behaviors of children with externalizing problems using experimental methods.
- Externalizing problems in children are associated with various behavioral and cognitive differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the lie-telling behavior of children with externalizing problems.
- To examine the relationship between lie-telling, theory-of-mind, inhibitory control, and moral evaluations in children.
- To compare the lie-telling patterns of children with and without externalizing behavior problems.
Main Methods:
- An experimental paradigm was used to assess children's lie-telling for personal gain.
- Participants included 110 boys aged 6-11 years, with 53 diagnosed with externalizing behavior problems and 57 in a typical comparison group.
- Theory-of-mind abilities, inhibitory control, and moral evaluations were assessed. Parent-reported diaries tracked lie frequency over two weeks for a subsample.
Main Results:
- Children with externalizing problems were significantly more likely to lie and less skilled at lying than controls.
- Lower theory-of-mind scores were associated with a higher likelihood of lying for personal gain.
- Children with externalizing problems who lied also rated 'tattle truths' more positively.
- Parent-reported diaries confirmed a higher frequency of lies in children with externalizing problems.
Conclusions:
- Children with externalizing behavior exhibit a distinct pattern of lie-telling compared to normative development.
- Theory-of-mind deficits may contribute to deceptive behaviors in this population.
- Findings highlight the need for tailored interventions addressing cognitive and behavioral aspects of lying in children with externalizing problems.
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