Hangzhou College of Preschool Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, China.
Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2X2, Canada.
J Exp Child Psychol. 2014 May;121:85-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2013.12.005. Epub 2014 Jan 24.
Elementary school children's cheating behavior and its cognitive correlates were investigated using a guessing game. Children (n=95) between 8 and 12 years of age were asked to guess which side of the screen a coin would appear on and received rewards based on their self-reported accuracy. Children's cheating behavior was measured by examining whether children failed to adhere to the game rules by falsely reporting their accuracy. Children's theory-of-mind understanding and executive functioning skills were also assessed. The majority of children cheated during the guessing game, and cheating behavior decreased with age. Children with better working memory and inhibitory control were less likely to cheat. However, among the cheaters, those with greater cognitive flexibility use more tactics while cheating. Results revealed the unique role that executive functioning plays in children's cheating behavior: Like a double-edged sword, executive functioning can inhibit children's cheating behavior, on the one hand, while it can promote the sophistication of children's cheating tactics, on the other.
采用猜谜游戏研究了小学生的作弊行为及其认知相关性。邀请了 8 至 12 岁的儿童猜测硬币会出现在屏幕的哪一侧,并根据他们自我报告的准确性获得奖励。通过检查儿童是否未能遵守游戏规则,即虚假报告其准确性,来衡量儿童的作弊行为。还评估了儿童的心理理论理解和执行功能技能。大多数儿童在猜谜游戏中作弊,而且作弊行为随年龄的增长而减少。具有更好的工作记忆和抑制控制能力的儿童不太可能作弊。但是,在作弊者中,那些认知灵活性更大的人在作弊时会使用更多策略。结果表明,执行功能在儿童的作弊行为中起着独特的作用:一方面,执行功能可以抑制儿童的作弊行为,另一方面,它可以促进儿童作弊策略的复杂性。