Behavioural experts have found that infants begin to lie from as young as six months. Simple fibs help to train them for more complex deceptions in later life.
Infants quickly learnt that using tactics such as fake crying and pretend laughing could win them attention. By eight months, more difficult deceptions became apparent, such as concealing forbidden activities or trying to distract parents’ attention. —Richard Gray — Babies not as innocent as they pretend (Telegraph)
Is “fake crying” really the same thing as “lying”? It’s a form of communication that serves a social purpose, like saying “thank you” when you don’t really feel grateful.
It seems like the real news here is not that researchers discovered new details about cognitive development, but rather the application of a new shading for the concept of deception.
I guess it’s a little late for a link to the Will Farrell baby landlord skit, but finally it seems appropriate.
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The article was talking about about babies who are six or eight months old -- they can't communicate through words, and a "fake cry" is their way of saying "I want attention, and I'm trying to get it from you." Adults will similarly mimic crying, screaming in terror, scratching each other in the face, etc., in an ironic way of emphasizing verbal communication.
Yes, I would agree that a 20-year-old who pretends to cry is being willfully deceptive. The researcher who published these findings is quoted in the article as saying babies are "clearly able to distinguish that what they are doing will have an effect. This is essentially all adults do when they tell lies, except in adults it becomes more morally loaded."
My question here is, did the researchers themselves say that babies "lie", or was that the journalist's way of jazzing up the story in order to gain attention from readers? The article attributes these claims to "behavioural experts" but only names one, and does not say where or how this research was published (at a conference? in a peer-reviewed journal? via a press release?).
Certainly hours spent up late at night trying to decide whether to go in and comfort a baby or whether to let him or her "cry it out" give me some experiences that affect how I respond to the story.
Thanks for this article. I always knew it... Babies. Harumph.
Perhaps it's because you're a father with young kids at home still, but I think that maybe you're being a bit too defensive on behalf of the wee ones here. Does fake crying really 'serve a social purpose'? Your example doesn't sway me: saying "thank you when you don't feel grateful" is a social SCRIPT. Fake crying is not a script; it's a ruse. A ploy. A downright decption. (Ever have a student fake cry in your office about their grades? I'd call that outright deception, wouldn't you?)
Baby Landlord -- hilarious!