True lies

Victoria Talwar

In Educational and Counselling Psychology professor Victoria Talwar's office, boxes of colourful toys sit on the floor. Just delivered from her last post at the University of Southern California, they are important research tools. They have followed her over the past eight years from Scotland, to Los Angeles and now, to Montreal.

Claudio Calligaris

At this time of year, many parents know that children will sneak peeks in closets they've been told to stay out of, and will deny it all when confronted. Parents wondering if their little fibsters' names will be appearing on Santa's "nice" or "naughty" list will find Talwar's words reassuring.

Having developed her interest in social cognitive development at St. Andrew's in Scotland, Talwar was wooed away to Queen's by her future supervisor, Kang Lee. He had researched children's understanding of lies, but not their lie-telling behaviour — which was exactly what she wanted to study.

The toys in her office have been used in experiments that set up a temptation-resistance paradigm. She asks children to guess from audio clues (such as Buzz's "To infinity and beyond!") the identity of hidden toys, tells them not to peek and leaves them with their temptation. About 80 percent will peek, and of those 70 percent will deny it

Children lie for the same reasons as adults: to escape punishment, for self-gain and for impression management. "We tell lies for others to make them look good, or spare their feelings."

At around age eight, "pro-social," or politeness, lies increase as children empathize more with others. We don't want to tell Granny the sweater she knit us for the holidays itches.

In one study where children were given an unattractive gift (a bar of soap) after completing a task, Talwar found that most children said they liked it to the gift-giver despite expressing their dislike in private.

Has her work pinpointed the tell-tale signs of a liar in action? It's not that simple. Young children (around three years or so) are known for their transparency, but older children are another story. Some children may grin more widely than usual. But every liar (i.e., every one of us) tells tall tales in his or her own style, so don't expect to see through each one.

Talwar's findings are of interest to our legal system. In Canada, children who are to testify must undergo an examination to determine if they understand what lying is. But whether they do or not is a moot point.

The most effective way to assure truthfulness is already the backbone of our court system: Ask for a promise to tell the truth. According to Talwar's research, 50 percent of children will follow up.

For the moment, Talwar is busy marking papers, unpacking her boxes and stocking up on warm winter clothing. But she will be looking for parents and children willing to spare a half-hour for her study. All can rest assured that participation will not put them in Santa's, or anybody's, bad books.

Her future studies will be examining ways to increase truth-telling in children. Learning to lie is a part of our cognitive development and learning when not to lie is part of our social development, she says. "It is a part of our normal development."

Jennifer Westlake