歡迎。四位

半歲嬰兒 會騙人 (中文版)
記者:編譯陳世欽／報導 

倫敦星期電訊報一日報導，最新研究結果顯示，嬰兒開始學習欺騙的時間比原先以為的要早，最早六個月大時就會開始騙人。

行為專家發現，簡單的騙術有助於嬰兒在稍大時學習如何編造更複雜的謊言。

英國樸茨茅斯大學心理學教授華蘇蒂薇‧雷迪研究五十多名兒童後指出，六個月大至三歲間嬰幼兒採用的欺騙方法可分七種。嬰兒很快就會發現，假哭與裝笑能夠引起注意。八個月大的嬰兒會運用難度更高的欺騙技巧，例如掩飾父母禁止的活動，或設法分散父母的注意力。兩歲的幼兒可能使用更迂迴的技巧，例如父母準備施加薄懲時，虛張聲勢。

心理學家此前認為，四歲前的發育中大腦不可能編造謊言。

雷迪表示：「假哭是最早出現的欺騙方法之一。即使一切正常，嬰兒也會以這種方法博取注意。他們會暫停，看看母親有無反應，再決定是否繼續假哭。這種現象顯示，他們能夠分辨什麼行為可以奏效。」

雷迪認為，小孩通常都會根據早期的小謊確定特定狀況適用什麼樣的謊言，並在這個過程中明白，說謊過甚很可能產生反效果。

Whether lying about raiding the biscuit tin or denying they broke a toy, all children try to mislead their parents at some time. Yet it now appears that babies learn to deceive from a far younger age than anyone previously suspected.

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.

Until now, psychologists had thought the developing brains were not capable of the difficult art of lying until four years old.

Following studies of more than 50 children and interviews with parents, Dr Vasudevi Reddy, of the University of Portsmouth's psychology department, says she has identified seven categories of deception used between six months and three-years-old.

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.

By the age of two, toddlers could use far more devious techniques, such as bluffing when threatened with a punishment.

Dr Reddy said: "Fake crying is one of the earliest forms of deception to emerge, and infants use it to get attention even though nothing is wrong. You can tell, as they will then pause while they wait to hear if their mother is responding, before crying again.

"It demonstrates they're 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."

She added: "Later it becomes more sophisticated by saying, 'I don't care' when threatened with a punishment - when they clearly do."

Dr Reddy thinks children use early fibs to discover what kinds of lie work in certain situations, and also learn the negative consequences of lying too much.