Lee et al. (1997) - Evaluations of Lying and Truth-Telling

Question 1

Lee et al. - Background

Answer 1

• Sweetser (1987) - argued that the understanding of lying is greatly influenced by the cultural norms and moral values in which individuals are socialised
• Lee et al. aimed to find out whether lying behaviour is cross-cultural

Question 2

Lee et al. - Research Method

Answer 2

• Quasi experiment using an independent measures design
• IV - ethnicity and age of child (Chinese/Canadian, 7, 9 or 11 years old)
• DV - how they rated lying behaviours on a 7 point scale
• Could also be considered cross-cultural and cross-sectional, with use of self report

Question 3

Lee et al. - Sample

Answer 3

• Canadian children: 108 children from New Brunswick, 36 7yo, 40 9yo, 32 11yo with fairly even gender split; most children from middle-class families
• Chinese children: 120 children from Hangzhou, 40 of each 7, 9 and 11yo.s; no knowledge of socioeconomic background

Question 4

Lee et al. - Materials

Answer 4

4 types of stories were used for each of the 4 conditions:
1. Pro-social truth telling
2. Pro-social lie telling
3. Antisocial truth telling
4. Antisocial lie telling

Stories were either physical or social - a person is either hurt (antisocial) or helped (pro-social) - each p was randomly allocated to one of the conditions above and counterbalancing was used when reading the stories to counteract order effects.

Question 5

Lee et al. - Procedure

Answer 5

• Each p was tested individually and were instructed about the meanings of words and ratings of deeds
• 7 point rating chart used ranging from very very good (3 red stars), neither good nor naughty (Blue circle) to very very naughty (black cross)
• Ps were read either all 4 social stories or all 4 physical stories; the deed was read first and then they would indicate their rating either verbally, or by pointing at the chart

Question 6

Lee et al. - Findings

Answer 6

• Children of both cultures rated prosocial and antisocial behaviours similarly in truth-telling scenarios
• Chinese children rated truth-telling less positively/lie telling more positively in pro social settings, indicating that the emphasis on modesty in Chinese culture overrides evaluations of lying in prosocial situations
• Chinese and Canadian children rated truth telling positively and lie-telling negatively in antisocial situations, reflecting emphasis in both cultures on the distinction between misdeed and truth/lie telling
• Overall, negative ratings increased with age, irrespective of culture

Question 7

Lee et al. - Conclusions

Answer 7

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