New research suggests that some babies as young as eight months have already grasped the basics of deception. The study, based on interviews with 750 parents from the UK, US, Australia and Canada, found that by 10 months about a quarter of children were practising rudimentary forms of deceit, such as pretending not to hear their parents, hiding toys or eating forbidden foods out of view.
Professor Elena Hoicka, lead author from the University of Bristol, said it was fascinating to uncover how children’s understanding and usage of deception evolves from a surprisingly young age. The research, published in the journal Cognitive Development, drew on animal behaviour studies, which have documented apparent deception in chimpanzees and birds without verbal communication.
By the age of three, children were more proficient, creative and frequent fabricators, the parents reported. From two years, deception tends to be action-based or require only basic spoken responses, such as pretending not to hear a parent say “time to tidy up”, hiding things, or denial. At three, children start to understand and engage in more types of deception, including exaggeration, understatement or complete fabrication, such as telling a lie like ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’.
Professor Jennifer Saul, a philosophy expert at the University of Waterloo, said philosophers have long focused on adult deception but this study shows how much complexity is overlooked. The study should reassure parents that deception is normal in toddler development and help them stay one step ahead.
