Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

18.4K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.  
18.4K
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification03:00

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

5.2K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.2K
Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

3.5K
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
3.5K
Fundamental Attribution Error01:14

Fundamental Attribution Error

12.9K
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
12.9K
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development01:19

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

105
Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
105
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

39.1K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
39.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

3D-printed grid electrode integrating both accelerated mass transport and sulfur conversion kinetics for lean-electrolyte Li-S batteries.

Materials horizons·2026
Same author

ACSS2 Inhibition Alleviates Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury: Insights from Targeted Metabolomics.

Chemical research in toxicology·2026
Same author

A dual-twisted molecular strategy achieves dramatic quantum-yield enhancement in NIR-II AIEgen for high-performance bioimaging.

Biomaterials·2026
Same author

Physical actions shape moral choices: Environment-directed movements reduce cheating in young children.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same author

Biocontrol of Angelica sinensis root rot and degradation of neosolaniol toxin by a novel Trichoderma asperellum M2 strain.

BMC microbiology·2026
Same author

First-principles study on the stabilization of P2-Na<sub>2/3</sub>Ni<sub>1/3</sub>Mn<sub>2/3</sub>O<sub>2</sub> by lithium doping.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2025

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

8.6K

Default settings affect children's decisions about whether to be honest.

Li Zhao1, Haiying Mao2, Jiaxin Zheng3

  • 1Department of Psychology, Hangzhou Normal University, PR China; Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for the Development and Care of Infants and Young Children, PR China.

Cognition
|February 10, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Children’s decisions about honesty are influenced by default settings, similar to adults. Research shows default options significantly impact young children’s cheating behavior, suggesting early origins of this decision-making bias.

Keywords:
ActionCheatingChildrenDefault settingsHonestyMoral development

More Related Videos

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling
06:51

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

8.5K
Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

8.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 10, 2025

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

8.6K
The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling
06:51

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

8.5K
Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

8.0K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics
  • Moral Development

Background:

  • Default settings systematically influence adult decision-making across various domains.
  • Evidence for default effects is extensive in adults, but their developmental origins are less understood.
  • The influence of default settings on children's honesty decisions remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether default settings influence honesty decisions in young children.
  • To examine the developmental origins of default setting effects on moral behavior.
  • To explore the impact of default settings on children's cheating behavior in a controlled game.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies involving 5- and 6-year-old Chinese children (N=120).
  • A specially designed device presented a guessing game with either a Cheating Default or Honesty Default condition.
  • Children had an easy option to override the default, allowing assessment of their choices.

Main Results:

  • Children cheated significantly more often in the Cheating Default condition compared to the Honesty Default condition.
  • Cheating rates differed between studies (55% vs. 25%), indicating the specific action can moderate the default effect.
  • Default setting effects observed in adults appear to have origins in childhood.

Conclusions:

  • Default settings significantly influence young children's decisions regarding honesty.
  • These findings suggest that default effects on moral decision-making emerge early in development.
  • Understanding these effects can inform strategies for promoting positive social development and moral choices in children.