Children who disclose a minor transgression often neglect disclosing secrecy and coaching

Abstract

The present study examined 7- to 12-year-olds' disclosure of a minor transgression as well as their disclosure about being asked to keep a secret and being coached to lie about the transgression. All children interacted with a confederate who allowed children to play with a forbidden object. Children were randomly assigned to one of three coaching conditions: Secrecy coaching (told to keep a secret), Cover story coaching (provided with a cover story), Control (no coaching). Children were later interviewed in one of three honesty-promotion conditions: Promise, Eye Contact, No Instruction. Almost all children revealed the minor transgression; however, children in the Cover Story coaching condition were least likely to disclose. Only a minority of children disclosed being coached or that it was a secret. Children in the Cover Story coaching condition were found to disclose more information when asked to maintain eye contact compared to the No Instruction condition.