If Someone is Wrong but Sincere, Is It a Lie? The Role of Objective Falsity, Intention, and Motivation in Children's Understanding of Lying

This study investigates how objective reality (truth vs falsity), intention (honest vs dishonest) and motivation (prosocial vs egoistic) affect lie labelling and moral judgment of lies. Using a comic-based task, we conducted a study with 5-6-year-olds and 9-10-year-olds (N = 194). Participants were presented with scenarios where a protagonist made either prosocial or egoistic statements that were truthful or false, with honest or deceptive intent. Results showed that younger children were more likely to judge objectively false statements as lies, while older children placed greater emphasis on the protagonist’s intention. Prosocial lies were evaluated more positively than egoistic lies. However, contrary to prior research, prosocial lies were not less likely to be labeled as lies, but unlike in previous studies children were informed about the honest or dishonest intentions, which could prevent them from interpreting egoistic motivation as dishonest intentions. Additionally, lies were based on factual statements rather than opinions. Results of this research contribute to theory of mind, moral development, and social cognition research, offering insights into how children distinguish between truth and deception. The study also introduces a novel, language-independent tool for assessing children’s understanding of deception, which may have applications in cross-cultural research and educational settings.