Guilt motivates prosocial lying in preschoolers: Reparative and reputational pathways

Theoretical and empirical work suggests that guilt motivates reparative and relational actions; yet, its potential to promote prosocial deception in early childhood remains unclear. Across two studies, we examined whether guilt fosters prosocial lying in 4- to 5-year-olds. In Study 1 (N = 133, 67 girls, 66 boys; middle-income Chinese families), children induced to feel guilt were more likely to tell polite and helping lies to support a victim than those in a baseline, no emotion induction condition. Study 2 (N = 124, 62 girls, 62 boys) compared the effect of guilt induction on prosocial lying toward a victim versus a bystander. Whereas guilt increased polite and helping lies to benefit a victim (replicating Study 1), guilt only increased polite, but not helping lies, directed at a bystander. These findings suggest that guilt induction increased the likelihood of prosocial lying in preschoolers, but its motivational influence varied by social context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).