Psychology Science Minute #517

At what age do children understand being real vs. acting as real?

Previous studies demonstrate that children can identify strategies to present themselves based on what other children do and expect. Researchers studied if children valued and understood those being themselves versus acting to impress others. 

Researchers recruited over 550 representative U.S. Midwest children ages 4 through 9. In 5 studies, with varying ages and factors, the researchers presented two characters. One cared “that others thought she was smart,” while the other wanted “to learn a lot and do her best.”  After hearing their stories, participants answered questions about the characters.

Results? At ages 6-7, children believe the character acting to impress is more likely to lie to cover up failures and less likely to seek help in class. They liked the “being themselves” character more than the falsely presented character. Younger children around 4 years old who had not started school were less likely to make these inferences.

Parents! Young children can distinguish between differing motives. Praise and hug the child’s being themselves, trying and learning rather than winning or pretending to be smart or the best!