Lee

• Background: Outline 2 prior theories around lying (Piaget, Wimmer)

  Prior research by Piaget suggested young children judge a lie based on the extent to which it differs from the truth and whether the lie is punished but at age 11 they begin to factor in intention. Wimmer disagreed with this and claimed that even pre-school and young-school aged children can distinguish lying from behavioural misdeeds but when the speaker's intentions are highlighted to them.
• Background: explain where we have gaps in our knowledge around the concept of lying (Sweetser/Kohlberg etc)

  Although Kohlberg's study supported his theory of moral development, he didn't specifically focus on moral evaluations of lying. Sweetser argued that the understanding of lying is greatly influenced by the cultural norms in which children are socialised. However, nearly all research had been conducted in Western individualist cultures so we didn't if children's judgements of lying in collectivist cultures would be the same.
• Background: how Lee aimed to bridge this gap in his study using children from 2 very different cultures

  This inspired Lee to investigate cross-cultural differences in children's moral evaluations of lying, comparing responses in children from Canada and China.
• Aim

  To investigate cross-cultural differences in children’s understanding and moral evaluations of lying. The study aimed to compare the responses of Chinese and Canadian Ps to stories that involved lying and truth-telling, pro social and antisocial situations
• What does prosocial and antisocial mean

  Pro = good deed

  Anti = bad deed
• Research method

  Lab experiment using a cross cultural method (+high population validity = can generalise to east and west), as children from China and Canada were used. An IMD was used (children hear either a physical or social story). Cross sectional study as used diff Ps from each culture at diff ages (7, 9 and 11)
• IVs

  
• DVs

  
• Exam Q: Explain how Lee's study is a lab experiment

  Lee's study was a lab experiment as he used an artificial lab setting and the independent variable was manipulated (children either heard a physical or social story, the characters lied or told the truth and did a pro-social or anti-social deed)
• Sample

  • incl both males + females but dk how many of each
  • 120 Chinese children aged 7, 9 + 11 (40 of each age) recruited from primary schools in a medium-sized city (Hangzhou)
  • 108 Canadian children aged 9, 7 + 11 (36 7 year olds, 40 9 year olds + 32 11 year olds) recruited from elementary schools in a medium sized city (Fredericton)
  • most of the Canadian children were middle class (the Chinese children's social class is unknown)
• Procedure pt1

  
• Procedure pt2

  
• Exam Q: Explain how Lee's study was cross-sectional

  A cross-sectional study involves studying people of different ages at the same point in time. Lee compared 7, 9 and 11 year olds from Canada and China for their evaluations of lying and truth-telling at the same time.
• Exam Q: In Lee et al's study of lying and truth-telling, the experimenter varied the presentation of the words 'good' and 'naughty' in the questions. Give one reason why this may have been done (3)

  One reason the words were alternated was to control for the wording of the question not becoming bias or leading Ps responses. For example, if good was always used first, children may have thought they had to reply with good rather than their actual belief. This increases the internal validity of results into moral evaluations of lying and truth-telling, reducing the risk of demand characteristics and truly measuring cross-cultural differences in children's evaluations of lying.
• Results

  
• Exam Q

  
• Conclusions

  
• Evaluation table

  
• Link to key theme Q pt1

  WHAT = Lee wanted to investigate cross-cultural differences in Chinese and Canadian children's moral evaluations of lying and truth-telling in response to a set of hypothetical dilemmas

  WHO = he used 120 Chinese children and 108 Canadian children aged 7, 9 and 11 from local elementary schools

  HOW = the children were asked to rate a series of social or physical stories involving pro-social or anti-social behaviour on a 7-point scale from very very naughty to very very good. the Chinese and Canadian children's responses were compared
• Link to key theme Q pt2

  FINDING = he found that Chinese children rated pro-social truth telling less positively than Canadian children

  LINK = this links to the key theme of moral development as it shows that children's culture impacts their moral development e.g. the cultural norm of modesty in China may explain this difference in their moral evaluation where collectivist cultures wouldn't promote boasting about telling the truth for a good deed
• Link to developmental area Q

  
• Which debates does Lee link to

  • holism = considers a range of factors contributing to children judgements of lying and truth telling such as their age as well as the cultural norms they have been immersed in such as valuing modesty in China
  • determinism = suggests that children's moral evaluations of lying is predetermined by factors outside their control such as their experiences in the culture they grow up in