Why do kids cheat? Is it normal or should I be worried?

Everyone knows a kid who cheats at Monopoly or backyard cricket. Maybe they even cheated on an exam at school.

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

However, in terms of development cheat It is not usually a cause for concern for children.

What is cheating?

Cheating occurs when a child acts dishonestly to gain an unfair advantage. You may pretend to roll a six, peek at other people’s cards, give the wrong score in a sports game, or video game changes to skip levels.

Despite the best efforts of parents and teachers, cheating is quite common. Inside an experimentFive-year-old children were asked not to look inside the box as the experimenter left the room. Almost all of them looked, and most denied doing it.

A sign of progress

capacity to deceive It can signal the emergence of new skills, including understanding other people’s minds.

To cheat effectively we must consider what someone else is thinking. Then we need to trick them into believing in a different reality. These cognitive skills It occurs only in the preschool period, and it is not until the early years that children are able to successfully maintain a false story over time.

cheating at school

As children get older, they may become more wary of cheating in general, but they may also start cheating in school.

In a study conducted in the USA, more than three quarters high school students He reported cheating in school at least once last year.

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

Students were more likely to find cheating acceptable when helping their peers. They can rationalize the behavior is pro-social (e.g., they ran out of time because they were caring for a family member and had to cheat).

Temptation is important

Like adults, children are more likely to cheat when temptation is greater. Inside a studyChildren ages 7 to 10 were more likely to cheat at a dice-rolling game if they won a larger prize.

Children and adolescents also report that they are more likely to cheat to avoid negative consequences. In 1932, the American school principal MA Steiner He wrote about how too much studying encourages students to cheat. In a study conducted in 2008, students themselves They reported cheating in school because they were not interested in the material or were under pressure to perform.

While temptation encourages cheating, the risk of getting caught can encourage honesty. children should be weighed Benefits of cheating against the risk of getting caught.

As children grow older, they may also consider how cheating affects them. sense of self. For example, “It’s important to me to be a good person, so I won’t cheat.”

Do guys cheat more than girls?

Some children are more likely to cheat than others. For example, in a study conducted in 2019, children six dice they were able to win them awards, boys were cheating more than girls. Boys and girls approached cheating differently: Girls were more likely to cheat to avoid losses, while boys were equally motivated by losses and gains.

Social skills also make a difference. A 2003 US study showed sophomores who were rejected by their peers more likely cheat board games— even while playing with new kids they’ve never met before. It is possible that such children are not that good at regulating their emotions and behavior.

with teenagers lower self-restraint and greater tolerance for breaking rules, greater likelihood of accepting academic cheating, as it is those who misbehave in class

How can adults prevent cheating?

Although cheating is common, it can lead to increasing problems for children and teenagers as the risk increases. Do research with Chinese students in eighth grade It showed that those who cheated when scoring their own tests were less likely to learn the correct answer later.

Here are four things parents and teachers can do to prevent cheating:

1. Have open conversations: Speak openly and compassionately about why cheating isn’t a good idea (e.g., “it’ll ruin your friends’ fun”). Research shows kids And teenagers Those who promised experimenters not to cheat in a game were less likely to do so. But kids who is afraid Those who get into trouble are less likely to tell the truth.

2. Don’t put too much pressure on results: talking about schoolUse language about learning rather than performance (“just do your best, that’s all you can do”). Research shows a high rate competitive academic environments It increases the likelihood of cheating because the benefits of success and the risks of failure increase.

3. Be positive about your child’s character: In one studyPreschoolers were divided into one of two groups. Children in the “good reputation” group were told, “I know the kids in your class and they told me you are a good kid.” In another group, the children were not told anything. All children were then asked not to look at a seductive toy as 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 kids how it’s done: If adults are honest and open, children are more likely to do the same. Inside a studyThe children were told that there was a large bowl of candy in the next room. When it turned out to be a lie, children were more likely to cheat at a game and lie about it.

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