A series of four experiments in which 350 children, ages 5-6 years, were asked to complete an exam with the answer key visible on a neighboring desk finds that a barrier, whether real or symbolic, between the child and the answer key reduced the rate of cheating, suggesting that elements of children's environments can influence honesty, according to the authors.
Article #20-02249: "The moral barrier effect: Real and imagined barriers can reduce cheating," by Li Zhao et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Heyman, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA; e-mail: gheyman@ucsd.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences