Children's Endorsement of Prosocial Lies According to Content and Recipient Knowledge
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| Title: | Children's Endorsement of Prosocial Lies According to Content and Recipient Knowledge |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Shirley Ong, Elizabeth S. Nilsen (ORCID |
| Source: | First Language. 2026 46(1):20-42. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 23 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Children, Adults, Prosocial Behavior, Misinformation, Opinions, Context Effect, Empathy, Theory of Mind, Achievement Tests, Receptive Language, Communication (Thought Transfer) |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Wechsler Individual Achievement Test |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01427237251348529 |
| ISSN: | 0142-7237 1740-2344 |
| Abstract: | Children and adults use prosocial lies in their everyday conversational exchanges. However, their use of this language form varies across contexts. Extending work demonstrating the importance of conversational partner knowledge for communicative decisions, we examine whether children (ages 8-11 years old; N = 81) and adults' (N = 218) endorsement of prosocial lies (and truths) differ based on whether a recipient is/is not knowledgeable of the context. Additionally, we examine whether such endorsements varied based on whether the lie (or truth) was about their opinion or the objective reality. Participants were asked to imagine themselves within a scenario with another person who was unaware/aware of a negative event. They then rated how likely they would be to use truth/lie statements which varied in content (i.e., reference to opinion or reality). While children endorsed statements similarly for ignorant/knowledgeable recipients, adults were more likely to endorse telling a prosocial lie when the recipient was ignorant of the negative event. Both groups indicated higher likelihood of telling a prosocial lie about an opinion versus reality. Addressing individual factors, self-reported empathy was not associated with children's responses but was associated with adults' communicative choices. Together this work provides information as to how children (and adults) use varying language forms to navigate social situations. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1496509 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Children and adults use prosocial lies in their everyday conversational exchanges. However, their use of this language form varies across contexts. Extending work demonstrating the importance of conversational partner knowledge for communicative decisions, we examine whether children (ages 8-11 years old; N = 81) and adults' (N = 218) endorsement of prosocial lies (and truths) differ based on whether a recipient is/is not knowledgeable of the context. Additionally, we examine whether such endorsements varied based on whether the lie (or truth) was about their opinion or the objective reality. Participants were asked to imagine themselves within a scenario with another person who was unaware/aware of a negative event. They then rated how likely they would be to use truth/lie statements which varied in content (i.e., reference to opinion or reality). While children endorsed statements similarly for ignorant/knowledgeable recipients, adults were more likely to endorse telling a prosocial lie when the recipient was ignorant of the negative event. Both groups indicated higher likelihood of telling a prosocial lie about an opinion versus reality. Addressing individual factors, self-reported empathy was not associated with children's responses but was associated with adults' communicative choices. Together this work provides information as to how children (and adults) use varying language forms to navigate social situations. |
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| ISSN: | 0142-7237 1740-2344 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01427237251348529 |
