To instill honesty, parents tell children, “Don’t lie.” “Be Honest.” “Promise to tell the truth. ”Since promising doesn’t seem to work for very young children, researchers thought enhancing children’s self-awareness in relationship to others would encourage their truth-telling.

They played a game with 135 children, ages 3 to 4, having them guess what toy was hidden in the room. They placed a toy behind a screen, told the child not to peek, and left. One group engaged in the self-awareness activity by identifying themselves in a mirror and pointing to their nose, eyes, ears. Another group pointed to items in the room. The researchers asked a third group of children to promise to tell the truth. Then, experimenters asked all the children if they peeked.

Results? The children who engaged in the self-awareness mirror activity told the truth more than children, who promised to tell the truth, or just identified room items. The increased self-awareness encouraged children to follow the social norm of honesty.

Parents, teach your child to be more self-aware in relation to others. Help...

Psychology Science Minute #458