Lying for the Collective in Mid- to Late- Childhood

• In Event: 3-031 - Children's Honesty

Integrative Statement

Extensive research has demonstrated that children’s tendency to tell antisocial and prosocial lies increases with age; however, little is known about the development of a particular type of lie, lying for the collective (i.e., blue lies; Barnes, 1994). Previous research conducted in China, a collectivist culture, found low rates of lying to conceal a group transgression, with lie-telling rates increasing with age (Fu et al., 2011). However, blue lies have yet to be examined in more individualistic cultures such as North America. Although individualistic cultures may prioritize the self, individuals may also be motivated to protect their group. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the tendency of 7- to 9-year-olds from a more individualistic culture to tell blue lies.

Method. Based on Fu et al. (2011), Canadian children attending a summer camp (N = 408, Mage = 9.01, SD = 1.28) participated in a camp wide competition. Each camp group completed puzzles and reported their score to the activity director. During the competition, all groups cheated (after receiving suggestions from camp counselors) and reported a higher score than their group achieved. Children were told not to tell anyone about the cheating (i.e., keep the “secret”). Children were then interviewed about the event using a structured interview protocol. Interview transcripts were coded for honesty, who children blamed for the transgression, whether children reported there was a secret, and what score children reported (true or false).

Results. Only 17% of children honestly reported the transgression. Of those children who disclosed the transgression, few took responsibility (4%), while most placed blame on others (84%) or both the self and others (12%). Furthermore, when discussing the event, a quarter of the children reported the false score (24%), 15% reported both the true and false scores, and just over half of the children never mentioned their team score. Only 9% of children reported that there was a secret. A regression with honesty as the predicted variable and age in years, reported score, and secret reporting as the predicted variables was significant χ2 (5) = 256.25, p < .001, Nagelkerke R2 = .78. Reported score and secret were significant unique predictors; children who reported the false score, B = 1.49, Wald = 4.29, p = .038, or true and false scores, B = 6.83, Wald = 73.46, p < .001 were more likely to tell the truth than those who did not report any score during the interview. Children who reported that there was a secret were also more likely to tell the truth, B = 1.92, Wald = 6.98, p < .001.

These findings demonstrate that blue lie-telling does indeed occur in individualistic cultures, perhaps even at a higher rate than more collectivistic cultures. However, this willingness to lie for the group contrasted with children’s unwillingness to take responsibility for their transgression. Furthermore, our findings suggest that asking children about whether there is a secret may be a productive tool for increasing honesty.

Authors

• Victoria W Dykstra, Brock University
  Presenting Author

• Kaila C. Bruer, University of Toronto
  Non-Presenting Author

• Heather Price, Thompson Rivers University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Angela D Evans, Brock University
  Non-Presenting Author