Most parents claim they want to teach their children the importance of honesty. But the truth is, most parents are lying liars.

A 2009 study found that parental lying is common. Some University of California, San Diego psychologists wondered whether such lies actually influence children. Are kids who get lied to more likely to lie themselves? The answer, the researchers reported March 17 in Developmental Science, is a big yes.

Leslie Carver and Chelsea Hays invited 186 kids between the ages of 3 and 7 into their lab. Upon arrival, some of the kids were told a bald-faced lie: “There is a huge bowl of candy in the next room. Want to go get some?” When the kids got to the candyless room, the researcher admitted that it was a ruse to get the kid into the room. When the other group of kids arrived, they were told simply that a fun game awaited them in the next room.

Next came the honesty test. With their back to the researcher, the kids had to guess which toy went with a particular sound. Just after that, the researcher left the room to take a phone call, leaving the children in perfect positions to cheat and sneak a look at the mysterious toy.

Most kids peeked at the toy, but those who had heard the candy bowl lie were a little more likely to cheat, a camera revealed. Later, the researcher returned and asked kids whether they had peeked. Of the kids who peeked, those between the ages of 5 and 7 who had been cheated with the candy bowl lie were more likely to lie themselves and say they didn’t peek than the kids who didn’t get lied to, the researchers found. 

But it’s not clear why lying to a child makes that kid more likely to lie, Carver says. A simple explanation is that the children imitate how they were treated themselves. Another possibility is that the children lose trust in the person as soon as they realize they’ve been lied to. “The child says, ‘This person is a liar so I can lie too,’” Carver says. 

1. The purpose of Carver’s experiment is to find out ________.

A.how important it is to teach children to be honest  

B.why parents lie to their children 

C.what makes children tell lies 

D.whether parents’ lies influence children

2. The underlined word “peeked” in Paragraph 5 can be best explained as ________

A. looked carelessly  B. looked secretly  C. checked quickly   D. hid secretly 

3. What does Carver’s experiment show?

A.Lying to children makes them more likely to lie

B.Yong children are more likely to lie

C.Children can’t resist the temptation from candy

D.Children are more likely to be cheated

4. What do children probably think if you lie to them, according to Carver?

A. It is OK to tell lies                   B. Lying is a bad thing

C. Those who lie should be punished      D. Adults are dishonest

 

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