Guilt motivates prosocial lying in preschoolers
Reparative and reputational pathways
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19214023 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fengling Ma (0000-0001-9018-2810, Hangzhou Normal University), Xiaoling Sun (0000-0002-9472-4346, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University), Mansha Yao (Zhejiang Sci-Tech University), Yutong Jiang (0000-0001-6558-4201, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University), Kristin Hansen Lagattuta (0000-0001-8276-4319, University of California, Davis) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-23 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Developmental Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/dev0002195 |
| PMID | 42024333 |
| OpenAlex | W7155368305 |
| Language | EN |
124, 62 girls, 62 boys) compared the effect of guilt induction on prosocial lying toward a victim versus a bystander. Whereas guilt increased polite and helping lies to benefit a victim (replicating Study 1), guilt only increased polite, but not helping lies, directed at a bystander. These findings suggest that guilt induction increased the likelihood of prosocial lying in preschoolers, but its motivational influence varied by social context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Deception · Dishonesty · Helping behavior · Lying · Moral behavior · Politeness · Prosocial behavior · Social relation · Child and Animal Learning Development · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Emotions and Moral Behavior
| Highly cited | No |
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