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Bergeron A, Deslauriers-Varin N, Daignault I, Lussier P. The disclosure of children who exhibit problematic sexual behaviors. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 134:105923. [PMID: 36265332 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Practitioners mandated to protect child development are sometimes dealing with children's inappropriate sexual behaviors. This set of behaviors presents a potential hindering impact on the child's development and important consequences for all children involved. Denial during the questioning of the child complicates the investigation of these cases. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to explore and to identify the different contexts of questioning in which children disclose or deny having committed a sexual behavior that appears to be problematic for his/her development as well as identifying the individual and contextual variables that influence the outcome of the questioning. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING The sample comprised of 120 instances of inappropriate sexual behavior exhibited by 85 children aged between 5 and 17 years old and reported to the Youth Protection Department at the Integrated Health and Social Services University Network in the province of Quebec, Canada. METHODS Bivariate statistical analyses were performed to investigate the association between the outcome of disclosure or non-disclosure, and contextual factors (questioning person's role, parents' reaction to the child's behavior, the child's expression of remorse, presence of a witness, use of coercion during the sexual behavior). Logistical regression (GLMM) was then used to determine the strength of the association between the covariates and the outcome of the questioning. RESULTS Results show that disclosure appears to be influenced by a combination of contextual variables, namely the role/status of the person questioning the child, expression of remorse reported by the child, and the presence of a witness to the behavior/s. CONCLUSIONS Our findings point to the importance of developing more comprehensive and specialized knowledge about the questioning context that favors the disclosure of children who are thought to have exhibited inappropriate sexual behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréanne Bergeron
- Centre International de Criminologie Comparée (International Centre for Comparative Criminology), Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel Groulx, Centre international de criminologie comparée (CICC), C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
| | - Nadine Deslauriers-Varin
- Centre International de Criminologie Comparée (International Centre for Comparative Criminology), Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel Groulx, Centre international de criminologie comparée (CICC), C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
| | - Isabelle Daignault
- Centre International de Criminologie Comparée (International Centre for Comparative Criminology), Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel Groulx, Centre international de criminologie comparée (CICC), C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
| | - Patrick Lussier
- Centre International de Criminologie Comparée (International Centre for Comparative Criminology), Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel Groulx, Centre international de criminologie comparée (CICC), C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
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Sela T, Bat-Or M. ‘‘You have your eyesight and you do not see:" Representations of sight and blindness as manifested in the artistic and verbal expressions of adults who grew up in the shadow of a secret. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2022.101941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Lavoie J, Talwar V. Theory of Mind and Concealing vs. Forthcoming Communication in Adolescence. Front Psychol 2022; 13:866964. [PMID: 35496205 PMCID: PMC9046603 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.866964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Concealing information requires that adolescents manage the information that they share, which requires cognitive skills, for example, theory of mind (ToM). This study explored motivations for concealment that early adolescents (N = 90, M = 12.81 years, SD = 5.10 months, range 12–14 years, and 58% female) endorsed concealing or disclosing to friends and parents, in relation to their theory of mind. We found that adolescents broadly endorsed disclosure to both parents and friends, even when it might mean they would face consequences, be impolite (by not protecting another’s feelings), or face negative identity-related emotions. We found that ToM ability was associated with a tendency to endorse being forthcoming and sharing information with both friends and parents. These findings provide new insight into how the relation between ToM and concealment may change with age, specifically how in early adolescence it may foster open communication rather than concealment as is the case in early and middle childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lavoie
- Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Hayashi H, Mizuta N. Omission bias in children's and adults' moral judgments of lies. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 215:105320. [PMID: 34823045 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study examined whether omission bias occurs in moral judgments of lies. Omission bias is the tendency to judge acts of commission as morally worse than equivalent acts of omission. Children aged 8 and 9 years (third graders) and 11 and 12 years (sixth graders), as well as adults, made moral judgments about lies of commission and omission to conceal transgressions. Descriptions of four scenarios varied in terms of whether the protagonists lied to benefit themselves or others and whether the transgression was deliberate or accidental. The results showed that both age groups of children, as well as adults, judged that lies of commission were morally worse than lies of omission in all four scenarios, indicating that omission bias clearly occurs in moral judgments of lies. However, there were age differences in the magnitude of omission bias. Third and sixth graders generally showed omission bias of the same magnitude for all scenarios, whereas omission bias in adults was stronger for the scenarios that benefited self rather than others and for scenarios in which deliberate transgressions, rather than accidental ones, were concealed. These results reveal differences in moral judgments of lies between middle childhood and adulthood.
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Gelman SA, Cuneo N, Kulkarni S, Snay S, Roberts SO. The Roles of Privacy and Trust in Children's Evaluations and Explanations of Digital Tracking. Child Dev 2021; 92:1769-1784. [PMID: 34117781 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A "digital revolution" has introduced new privacy violations concerning access to information stored on electronic devices. The present two studies assessed how U.S. children ages 5-17 and adults (N = 416; 55% female; 67% white) evaluated those accessing digital information belonging to someone else, either location data (Study 1) or digital photos (Study 2). The trustworthiness of the tracker (Studies 1 and 2) and the privacy of the information (Study 2) were manipulated. At all ages, evaluations were more negative when the tracker was less trustworthy, and when information was private. However, younger children were substantially more positive overall about digital tracking than older participants. These results, yielding primarily medium-to-large effect sizes, suggest that with age, children increasingly appreciate digital privacy considerations.
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Gongola J, Williams S, Lyon TD. Children's
under‐informative
responding is associated with concealment of a transgression. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Gongola
- Gould School of Law University of Southern California Los Angeles California USA
| | - Shanna Williams
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Thomas D. Lyon
- Gould School of Law University of Southern California Los Angeles California USA
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Sai L, Shang S, Tay C, Liu X, Sheng T, Fu G, Ding XP, Lee K. Theory of mind, executive function, and lying in children: a meta-analysis. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13096. [PMID: 33544950 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Scientific research on how children learn to tell lies has existed for more than a century. Earlier studies mainly focused on moral, social, and situational factors contributing to the development of lying. Researchers have only begun to explore the cognitive correlations of children's lying in the last two decades. Cognitive theories suggest that theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) should be closely related to the development of lying since lying is, in essence, ToM and EF in action. Yet, findings from empirical studies are mixed. To address this issue, the current meta-analysis reviewed all prior literature that examined the relations between children's lying and ToM and/or between children's lying and EF. In total, 47 papers consisting of 5099 participants between 2 and 19 years of age were included, which yielded 74 effect sizes for ToM and 94 effect sizes for EF. Statistically significant but relatively small effects were found between children's lying and ToM (r = .17) and between lying and EF (r = .13). Furthermore, EF's correlation with children's initial lies was significantly smaller than its correlation with children's ability to maintain lies. This comprehensive meta-analysis provides a clear picture of the associations between children's ToM/EF and their lying behavior and confirms that ToM and EF indeed play a positive role in children's lying and its development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyang Sai
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Siyuan Shang
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Cleo Tay
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xingchen Liu
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tingwen Sheng
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Genyue Fu
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao Pan Ding
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kang Lee
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.,Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Gongola J, Quas JA, Clark SE, Lyon TD. Adults' difficulties in identifying concealment among children interviewed with the putative confession instructions. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Lam BPW, Griffin ZM, Marquardt TP. Performance Differences Between Native and Non-Native Speakers on a New Happy-Sad Executive Function Measure. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2020; 36:965-975. [PMID: 33372962 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acaa124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The happy-sad task adapts the classic day-night task by incorporating two early acquired emotional concepts ("happy" and "sad") and demonstrates elevated inhibitory demands for native speakers. The task holds promise as a new executive function measure for assessing inhibitory control across the lifespan, but no studies have examined the influence of language of test administration on performance. METHOD Seventy adult native English speakers and 50 non-native speakers completed the computerized day-night and the new happy-sad tasks administered in English. In two conditions, participants were categorized pictorial stimuli either in a congruent manner ("happy" for a happy face) or in a more challenging, incongruent manner ("sad" for a happy face). Lexical decision performance was obtained to estimate levels of English language proficiency. RESULTS Native speakers and non-native speakers performed comparably except for the critical incongruent condition of the happy-sad task, where native speakers responded more slowly. A greater congruency effect for the happy-sad task was found for native than for non-native speakers. Lexical decision performance was associated with performance on the challenging incongruent conditions. CONCLUSION This study reinforced the usefulness of the happy-sad task as a new measure in evaluating inhibitory control in adult native-speakers. However, the language of test administration needs to be considered in assessment because it may lead to performance differences between native and non-native speakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boji P W Lam
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, The University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Zenzi M Griffin
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas-Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Thomas P Marquardt
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas-Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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van Ditmarsch H, Hendriks P, Verbrugge R. Editors' Review and Introduction: Lying in Logic, Language, and Cognition. Top Cogn Sci 2020; 12:466-484. [PMID: 32118362 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We describe some recent trends in research on lying from a multidisciplinary perspective, including logic, philosophy, linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, behavioral economics, and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, we outline the seven contributions to this special issue of topiCS.
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Williams S, McWilliams K, Lyon T. Children's concealment of a minor transgression: The role of age, maltreatment, and executive functioning. J Exp Child Psychol 2019; 191:104664. [PMID: 31785549 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the role of age, maltreatment status, and executive functioning on 752 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children's recall disclosure of a transgression in which the children appeared to have broken toys while playing with a stranger. Interviewers used narrative practice rapport building and then questioned children with free recall and cued recall questions. Younger and maltreated children were more likely to disclose during rapport building, whereas older and nonmaltreated children were more likely to disclose in response to recall questions. Working memory deficits appeared to mediate the relation between children's characteristics and disclosure during rapport but not during recall. The results demonstrate that how children are questioned affects the relations between deception and age, maltreatment, and executive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanna Williams
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Kelly McWilliams
- Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, New York, NY 10019, USA
| | - Thomas Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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