Most parents want to raise their children to be honest adults, so the first time that they catch their child in a lie it may come as an unpleasant surprise. But psychologists’ research has found that lying is a normal part of childhood. In fact, it’s a developmental milestone. Victoria Talwar, PhD, of McGill University, talks about why kids lie, how lying is tied to cognitive development, how children understand the morality of lying (including the “gray areas” of keeping secrets and tattling), and how parents can encourage truth-telling and honesty in their children.
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Victoria Talwar, PhD
Speaking of Psychology Home Page
Psychology takes toys seriously, with Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, and Doris Bergen, PhD
The secret to being a “SuperAger,” with Emily Rogalski, PhD
Tightwads and spendthrifts: How emotions drive our shopping behavior, with Scott Rick, PhD
Exploring the human-animal bond, with Maggie O’Haire, PhD
What can science teach us about the benefits of religion? With David DeSteno, PhD
Keeping teens safe on social media, with Linda Charmaraman, PhD
How close relationships keep us healthy and happy, with Richard Slatcher, PhD
Ghosts, Ouija boards and ESP: psychology and the paranormal, with Chris French, PhD
Waiting, worrying and dealing with uncertainty, with Kate Sweeny, PhD
Men, masculinity and mental health, with Ronald F. Levant, EdD
ADHD among children and adults, with Margaret Sibley, PhD
The psychology of science denial, doubt and disbelief, with Gale Sinatra, PhD, and Barbara Hofer, PhD
How science can help you change your behavior for the better with Katy Milkman, PhD
The seven sins of memory, with Daniel Schacter, PhD
Twenty years after 9/11, what have we learned about collective trauma? With Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD
Power: How you get it, how it can change you, with Dacher Keltner, PhD
Sport psychology, peak performance and athletes’ mental health, with Jamie Shapiro, PhD
Creativity, insight and “eureka moments,” with John Kounios, PhD
The psychology of superstition, with Stuart Vyse, PhD
Encore: How children’s amazing brains shaped humanity, with Alison Gopnik, PhD
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