Babies are capable of mastering the art of deception even before their first birthday, a new study has revealed.
Some infants, researchers found, are already employing sneaky tactics such as exaggeration, denial, feigning deafness, or hiding objects by the time they reach toddlerhood.
The University of Bristol-led research indicates that about a quarter of children begin to understand deception by 10 months old, a figure that rises to half by 17 months.
By the age of three, children become notably more proficient, creative, and frequent in their fabrications, according to the findings.
Elena Hoicka, a professor of education at Bristol University and the study’s lead author, said: "It was fascinating to uncover how children’s understanding and usage of deception evolves from a surprisingly young age and builds in their first years so they become quite adept and cunning ‘little liars’."
The study gathered insights from parents of over 750 children, aged up to 47 months, across the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, who reported on their child’s deceptive development.
The earliest instance of deception was observed in an eight-month-old baby, according to one parent.
Overall, 130 parents detailed 16 distinct types of deceptive behaviour exhibited by their children before 47 months.
The 'sneaky habits' included pretending not to hear to avoid tasks, hiding items to prevent sharing, outright denial, and engaging in forbidden activities in secret.
Children also employed excuses, exaggeration, understatement, and feigned ignorance or misunderstanding when asked to help with chores.
Other tactics involved fabricating stories, pretending not to see something they shouldn't be looking at, withholding information, and omitting details.
More sophisticated methods included restructuring responses by offering partial truths, being deliberately vague, and using distraction as a tool.
Professor Hoicka said: "From two years, deception tends to be action-based, or require only basic spoken responses, like pretending not to hear their parent say ‘time to tidy up’, hiding things from others, or denial – such as eating chocolate but shaking head to say ‘no’ when asked if they ate chocolate.
"It could also extend to doing forbidden activities in secret, for example looking in a bag they were told not to look in when no-one is apparently watching or making excuses, such as claiming to need the toilet, when asked to tidy up."
Researchers believe the study offers valuable insights for parents and educators, shedding light on how children might develop more advanced deceptive behaviours as they grow.
Professor Hoicka reassured parents that "deception is entirely normal in toddler development".
She added: "They can also look at our findings to know which types of deception to expect by age, so they can better understand and communicate with their children in order to stay one step ahead of their deceit."
Jennifer Saul, a professor of philosophy at the University of Waterloo and study co-author, said: "Philosophers have long reflected on the morality of human deception, but always focused on adults deceiving one another. This study shows just how much complexity gets overlooked by that focus."
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