Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - "Princess Alice is watching you"
T2 - children's belief in an invisible person inhibits cheating
AU - Piazza, Jared
AU - Bering, Jesse
AU - Ingram, Gordon
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - Two child groups (5–6 and 8–9 years of age) participated in a challenging rule-following task while they were (a) told that they were in the presence of a watchful invisible person (‘‘Princess Alice’’), (b) observed by a real adult, or (c) unsupervised. Children were covertly videotaped performing the task in the experimenter’s absence. Older children had an easier time at following the rulesbut engaged in equal levels of purposeful cheating as the younger children. Importantly, children’s expressed belief in the invisible person significantly determined their cheating latency, and this was true even after controlling for individual differences in temperament. When ‘‘skeptical’’ children were omitted from the analysis, the inhibitory effects of being told about Princess Alice wereequivalent to having a real adult present. Furthermore, skeptical children cheated only after having first behaviorally disconfirmed the ‘‘presence’’ of Princess Alice. The findings suggest that children’s belief in a watchful invisible person tends to deter cheating.
AB - Two child groups (5–6 and 8–9 years of age) participated in a challenging rule-following task while they were (a) told that they were in the presence of a watchful invisible person (‘‘Princess Alice’’), (b) observed by a real adult, or (c) unsupervised. Children were covertly videotaped performing the task in the experimenter’s absence. Older children had an easier time at following the rulesbut engaged in equal levels of purposeful cheating as the younger children. Importantly, children’s expressed belief in the invisible person significantly determined their cheating latency, and this was true even after controlling for individual differences in temperament. When ‘‘skeptical’’ children were omitted from the analysis, the inhibitory effects of being told about Princess Alice wereequivalent to having a real adult present. Furthermore, skeptical children cheated only after having first behaviorally disconfirmed the ‘‘presence’’ of Princess Alice. The findings suggest that children’s belief in a watchful invisible person tends to deter cheating.
KW - Supernatural beliefs
KW - Cheating
KW - Rule following
KW - Moral development
KW - Inhibitory control
KW - Invisible
U2 - 10.1016/j.jecp.2011.02.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jecp.2011.02.003
M3 - Journal article
VL - 109
SP - 311
EP - 320
JO - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
SN - 0022-0965
IS - 3
ER -