Children who tell it like it is are judged more severely by adults than their soft-spoken counterparts, according to research.
A new study released on Wednesday has suggested little ones who tell blunt truths - such as "I don't like that" are more negatively looked upon by grown-ups than those who bend the truth to protect others.Their findings, published in the Journal of Moral Education, showed that adults negatively perceived blunt truth-tellers more harshly than those who lied or told vague truth, but only when they told lies to be polite.
The results further demonstrates the "mixed messages" that parents are sending their children about fibbing versus being honest in different contexts.“This research tends to show there exists a complicated relationship with the truth that children must navigate to learn what is socially acceptable,” explained lead author Dr Laure Brimbal from the School of Criminal Justice & Criminology, at Texas State University.“Most parents will have been embarrassed or upset by their children’s brutal honesty at some point.
Learning to tell lies is a normal part of children’s social development.”To reach their conclusion, researchers examined 267 adults, from Northeast US, showing them videos of 24 children, aged 6 to 15, telling the truth or lying in various social situations.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk