The Permission Paradox: Condoning Deception Can Promote Honesty in Young Children
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| Title: | The Permission Paradox: Condoning Deception Can Promote Honesty in Young Children |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chadmen Tan (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Science. 2026 29(3). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Deception, Ethics, Young Children, Foreign Countries, Moral Values, Ethical Instruction, Guidelines, Child Development, Educational Games, Childrens Attitudes |
| Geographic Terms: | Singapore |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70168 |
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| Abstract: | The capacity to deceive is a hallmark of cognitive sophistication. Researchers often use games requiring deception to study the development of this capacity, assuming such games effectively isolate the cognitive aspects from sociomoral considerations. In three studies we challenge this assumption by explicitly giving 36- to 83-month-old Singaporean children (N = 279) permission to deceive in such a game. We initially hypothesized that granting such permission would increase deception by reducing sociomoral concerns associated with deception. Instead, we found the opposite effect: children were less likely to deceive. This paradoxical effect was replicated, suggesting that moral considerations persist even in contexts where ethical guidelines are presumed to be suspended and that the cognitive and moral aspects of deception are deeply intertwined during early development. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/ku8b2/overview |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1504344 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The capacity to deceive is a hallmark of cognitive sophistication. Researchers often use games requiring deception to study the development of this capacity, assuming such games effectively isolate the cognitive aspects from sociomoral considerations. In three studies we challenge this assumption by explicitly giving 36- to 83-month-old Singaporean children (N = 279) permission to deceive in such a game. We initially hypothesized that granting such permission would increase deception by reducing sociomoral concerns associated with deception. Instead, we found the opposite effect: children were less likely to deceive. This paradoxical effect was replicated, suggesting that moral considerations persist even in contexts where ethical guidelines are presumed to be suspended and that the cognitive and moral aspects of deception are deeply intertwined during early development. |
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| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70168 |
