Some babies grasp deception by 10 months, rising fast by 17

A new study has mapped by age young children’s ability to understand and practice deception for the first time—and results indicate many can sense it even before turning 1 year old. The research, led by the University of Bristol and published in Cognitive Development, shows about a quarter of children start to understand deception by 10 months, rising to half at 17 months. By the age of 3, children become more proficient, creative and frequent fabricators, according to the findings.

Study lead author Elena Hoicka, Professor of Education at the University of Bristol, said, “It was fascinating to uncover how children’s understanding and usage of deception evolves from a surprisingly young age and builds in their first years, so they become quite adept and cunning ‘little liars.'”

“Previous research has often focused on deception as something very sophisticated requiring strong language skills and an advanced understanding of others’ minds. By considering how deception occurs in animals, including chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys, antelopes, and birds, and applying this to young children, we were able to document the first much earlier forms of deception in young children—and it would seem to start very early on indeed.

“As a mother of three children myself, I can certainly vouch for how artful and wily they can be. Hiding under the table or in the bathroom to eat sweets or chocolate is their common ploy.”

The researchers asked the parents of more than 750 children aged from birth to 47 months from the U.K., U.S., Australia and Canada a range of questions about their child’s deception development.

Some respondents reported their child first recognized the concept as early as 8 months. Deception activity was also found to be frequent. Once their child got started, the study showed that half of children reported as deceivers had done something sneaky in the last day.

By analyzing responses, the researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Oxford, Sheffield, Warwick, and Waterloo in Canada identified 16 different types of deception.

“From 2 years, deception tends to be action-based, or require only basic spoken responses, like pretending not to hear their parent say ‘time to tidy up,’ hiding things from others, or denial—such as eating chocolate but shaking their head to say ‘no’ when asked if they ate chocolate,” Professor Hoicka explained.

“It could also extend to doing forbidden activities in secret, for example, looking in a bag they were told not to look in when no one is apparently watching or making excuses, such as claiming to need the toilet when asked to tidy up.”

Findings showed that by the age of 3, children start to understand and engage in more types of deception, which often involves a deeper understanding of language and how other people’s minds work.

Prof Hoicka said, “This could mean exaggerating, such as saying ‘I ate all my peas’ when they only ate a quarter, understatement or indeed complete fabrication such as telling a lie like ‘a ghost ate the chocolate,’ as well as pretending not to know, see, or understand. They also start to withhold information, for instance accurately telling their parents their sibling hit them, while leaving out the fact that they hit their sibling first. Three-year-olds also start to use distraction, like telling someone to ‘Look over there!’ when they want to do something they’re not supposed to.”

The research helps further understanding of the origins of deception and offers insights into how children might later learn to deceive in more advanced ways as they get older.

Prof Hoicka said, “Our study is particularly relevant for parents and educators. Firstly, parents can be reassured deception is entirely normal in toddler development. They can also look at our findings to know which types of deception to expect by age, so they can better understand and communicate with their children in order to stay one step ahead of their deceit.”

Study co-author Jennifer Saul, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo and author of the book “Lying, Misleading, and What is Said,” is an expert on the philosophy of deception.

Prof Saul said, “Philosophers have long reflected on the morality of human deception, but always focused on adults deceiving one another. This study shows just how much complexity gets overlooked by that focus.”