Taking the blame for someone else's wrongdoing: The effects of age and reciprocity.

Abstract

False confessions are often involved in wrongful convictions and are sometimes made to protect someone else (i.e., the guilty), perhaps as a way of reciprocating past favors. Experimental research has neglected to investigate false confessions made to protect someone else, including among adolescents who may be particularly vulnerable given their peer orientation and sensitivity to peer influence. The present study examined (a) how often individuals would falsely confess to take the blame for another's wrongdoing, and (b) whether the willingness to falsely confess would vary by age group and reciprocity. Adult (n = 99, M age = 20.29) and adolescent (n = 74, M age = 15.47) participants were randomly assigned to either receive or not receive a small favor from a confederate, witnessed the confederate cheat on a task, and then decided whether to sign a statement taking the blame for the confederate's cheating. Adolescents (59%) were more likely to falsely confess than adults (39%). No effect of reciprocity was found. Although a well-documented phenomenon in legal cases and field studies, the present study provides the first experimental evidence concerning voluntary false confessions to protect another, including developmental differences in this tendency. Results highlight the vulnerability of youth and the potential role of peers in legal decision making.