- A new study has explored the age at which children begin to exhibit deceptive behaviour, with some parents reporting recognition of the concept as early as eight months old.
- Published in the Cognitive Development journal, the research involved surveying parents of more than 750 children aged up to 47 months across the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
- Findings indicate that about a quarter of children understand deception by 10 months, and half by 16 months, becoming more adept fibbers by the age of three.
- Elena Hoicka, the study's lead author from the University of Bristol, highlighted how children's understanding and use of deception evolves significantly in their early years.
- Researchers identified 16 types of deception, noting that younger children's deceit is often action-based, while older children employ more complex tactics like exaggeration, fabrication, or withholding information.
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