Why do children cheat? Is this normal, or should I be concerned?

Everyone knows a kid who cheats at Monopoly or backyard cricket. They may even have cheated on a test at school.

If you notice your own child doing this, you may worry that the child is heading towards a life of crime.

But in developmental terms, cheating is usually not a cause for concern for children.

What is cheating?

Cheating occurs when a child behaves dishonestly to gain an unfair advantage. They can pretend to roll a six, look at other people’s cards, score or use a sports match incorrectly video game adaptations skip levels.

Despite the best efforts of parents and teachers, cheating is remarkably common. In one experimentfive-year-olds were asked not to look into a box while the experimenter left the room. Almost everyone peeked and most subsequently denied doing so.

A sign of development

The ability to deceive can signal the emergence of new skills, including understanding the minds of others.

To cheat effectively, we need to think about what someone else is thinking. Then we must trick them into believing a different reality. This cognitive skills only emerge in kindergarten, and it is not until primary school age that children can successfully maintain a false story.

Cheating at school

As children get older, they may become more cautious about cheating in general, as well as cheating at school.

In an American study more than three out of four High school students reported cheating at school at least once in the past year.

Common techniques included sharing their work with others, obtaining test answers in advance, plagiarizing from the Internet, and collaborating when not intended.

Students were more likely to view cheating as acceptable when helping a fellow student, or when they could rationalize perform the behavior in a pro-social way (e.g., they ran out of time and had to cheat because they were caring for a family member).

Seduction is important

Just like adults, children are more likely to cheat when the temptation is greater. In one studyChildren aged seven to ten were more likely to cheat at a dice game if they could win a bigger prize.

Children and adolescents also report cheating more often to avoid negative consequences. An American school director as early as 1932 M.A. Steiner wrote how too much work encourages students to cheat. In a 2008 study students themselves reported that they cheated in school because they were not interested in the material or were under pressure to perform.

Although temptation encourages deception, the risk of being caught can promote honesty. Children must weigh the benefits of cheating versus the risks of getting caught.

As they get older, children may also wonder how cheating affects them self-esteem. For example: “Being a good person is important to me – so I won’t cheat.”

Do boys cheat more than girls?

Some children are more likely to cheat than others. For example, in a 2019 study in which children’s roles of six dice they could win prizes, boys cheated more than girls. Boys and girls also approached cheating differently: girls were more likely to cheat to avoid losses, while boys were equally motivated by losses as by wins.

Social skills also make a difference. A 2003 American study found that second-grade children were rejected by their peers are more likely to cheat at board games – even when playing with new kids they’ve never met before. Such children may not be very good at regulating their emotions and behavior.

Adolescents with lower self-control and a greater tolerance for rule breaking are more likely to accept academic cheating, like being those who misbehave in class.

How can adults discourage cheating?

While cheating is common, it can become increasingly problematic for children and teens as the stakes get higher. Research with Chinese students in eighth grade showed that those who cheated on scoring their own test were less likely to have learned the correct answer later.

Here are four things parents and teachers can do to discourage cheating.

1. Have open conversations: talk openly and compassionately about why cheating is not a good idea (for example, “it ruins the fun for your friends”). Research shows children And adolescents who promised researchers not to cheat at a game were less likely to do so. But children who fears those who get into trouble are less likely to tell the truth.

2. Don’t put too much pressure on the results: when talking about school, use language related to learning rather than performance (“just do your best, that’s all you can do”). Studies strongly demonstrate this competitive academic environments make cheating more likely because the rewards of success and the risks of failure are greater.

3. Be positive about your child’s character: in one studypreschoolers were assigned to one of two groups. In the ‘good reputation’ group, children were told: ‘I know children in your class and they told me you were a good child’. In another group, the children were told nothing. All children were then asked not to look at tempting toys while the experimenter left the room. Those in the good reputation group were less likely to cheat (60%) than those in the other group (90%).

4. Show children how to do it: when adults are honest and open, children are more likely to do the same. In one studychildren were told that in the next room there was a large bowl of candy. When this turned out to be a lie, children themselves were more likely to cheat in a game and lie about it.

Penny Van Bergenhead of the School of Education and professor of educational psychology, University of Wollongong

This article is republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.