Seven- and eight-year-old children’s deception in the conflict situation

Abstract

Six-year-olds will deceive in the individual condition, only if a competitor exists; but not in the conflict condition, when a competitor and a cooperator both exist. Seven- and eight-year-olds acquire the second-order theory of mind (ToM2) related to sophisticated deception. However, it is not known whether children and adults resort to deception in the conflict condition; and if a relationship exists between deception and ToM2. Children (N = 34, range = [6; 7-8; 5]) and adults (N = 38, range = [18-24]) participated in two deception tasks: for self-benefit and for the other person’s benefit. Children also participated in a ToM2 task. Although adults deceived above chance levels, children deceived only for self-benefit. Furthermore, although there was no relationship between children’s deception and ToM2; children who passed the ToM2 task tended to deceive by denying or not responding. These findings suggest that 7- and 8-year-olds can deceive for self-benefit in the conflict condition without ToM2.