Experimental research—secretly putting

people in a controlled setting—also show how

readily people will lie.
For example, during a bogus experiment on
ESP (a mind-reading task), people are
presented with an opportunity to cheat in
order to win a $50 prize. When people are
placed in such a situation, almost everyone
cheats (90%) and then when confronted about
their behavior, few tell the truth; only 9 to 20%
of the individuals in these studies confess
when questioned (see Miller & Stiff; DeTurck
& Miller).
What is really interesting about these findings
is that the same results are obtained by
different researchers working in different parts
of the country.
Along the same line, research on deception
and young children shows a similar pattern of
results. When placed in a situation where lying
is in a child’s self-interest (to avoid
punishment), children as young as age two-
and-a-half will lie to get out of trouble
(see Lewis).
It is interesting to note that by the time
children get to be five years old—they are
much more likely to lie. Every five-year-old in
these studies lied when getting caught doing
something wrong.
And although it will be covered in greater
detail in another section of this website, this
research also reveals that it is impossible for
observers (including the children’s parents) to
tell whether these 3- to 5-year-olds are lying
(see lying comes easy).
Overall, the experimental evidence shows that
when placed in the right (or wrong) situation,
people are prone to lying, a behavior that starts
at an early age, and people are very good at it.