A microgenetic study of preschoolers’ deceptive and moral behavior. Links with theory of mind

• In Event: Deception as theory of mind in action: Developmental and methodological considerations

Abstract

Theory of mind (ToM), the ability to understand our own and others’ mental states, plays an essential role in both adaptive (other-serving deception; prosocial lies) and maladaptive (self-serving deception; antisocial lies) social strategies that we use from an early age. The current study relates nonverbal strategic deceptive behavior (using a hide-and-seek paradigm in a microgenetic design; Ding et al., 2017), moral behavior (prosocial sharing behavior and moral judgment) and emotional understanding in 3- to 5-year-olds to their ToM. After looking at change while it occurs – the microgenetic study (Wave I), we re-assessed the same variables 15 months later (Wave II).
Results Wave I (N = 92, 43 girls). There was an increase in deceptive responses from session one to session two. A logistic mixed model indicated the increase was statistically significant, OR = 5.78, 95% CI (3.98, 8.39), p < .001. Afterwards, participants maintained this response tendency; for instance, there was a much smaller increase in deceptive responses by the third session, compared to the second one, OR = 1.52, 95% CI (1.02, 2.26), p = .041. There was a bidirectional influence between ToM and the microgenetic intervention (i.e., the hide-and-seek task played over 10 sessions). On the one hand, we found that, among our predictors, only ToM was associated with a higher tendency to deceive, OR = 5.05, 95% CI (2.26, 11.28), p < .001. On the other hand, ToM showed a statistically significant improvement after, medianToM = 1, compared to before the microgenetic intervention, medianToM = 0, Z = -4, p < .001, r = .417. Understanding that emotions can have external causes (TEC II; Pons & Harris, 2000) also showed a significant improvement after the microgenetic intervention, χ2(1) = 8, p = .005. As for moral behavior, we used the Dictator game (Beneson et al., 2007), to find that the average sharing rate across sessions was not significantly correlated with ToM, rS= -.14, p = .186.
Results Wave II (N = 80, ). A logistic mixed model showed that deceptive responses were higher in Wave II compared to Wave I, OR = 60.58, 95% CI (41.10, 89.39), p < .001. Also, ToM showed a statistically significant improvement in Wave II, median ToM= 2, compared to both before, median ToM= 1, Z = -7, p < .001, r = .73, and after the microgenetic intervention, median ToM= 1, Z = -5, p < .001, r = .521. Understanding that emotions can have external causes also showed a significant improvement, compared to both before, χ2(1) = 31, p < .001, and after the microgenetic intervention, χ2(1) = 13, p < .001. Once again, ToM was not significantly correlated with sharing rate, rS= -.14, p = .217.
Conclusions. As predicted, ToM played an important role as children first discovered how to deceive for personal gain in a competitive situation. Also, the hide-and-seek paradigm was related to improvements in ToM and emotional understanding, as children’s scores on these socio-cognitive abilities significantly increased after the microgenetic intervention.

Authors

• Daniela Teodora Seucan, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai
  Non-Presenting Author

• Raluca Szekely-Copîndean, Romanian Academy
  Non-Presenting Author

• Xiao Pan Ding, National University of Singapore
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura A. Visu-Petra, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai
  Presenting Author