The General Characteristics Of Children's Lying And Family Related Factors

Lying is a common social behavior. In the discipline of developmental psychology, researchon children’s lying can be traced back to the early20s or30s of the20thcentury. Especially in themid of80, with the theory of mind sprung up, research on development and treatment of lyingbehavior has been further promoted and kept constantly growing.Among other things, the study of the development of lying in the last several decades hasprimarily involved the general characters of lying behaviors, the relationship between lying andthe problem behavior, and the intra-child and contextual factors of lying. Although the largeamount of research literature has shed much light on these themes, there are several importantissues that need further clarifications and investigations, including the individual differences, thegender differences in the average level and the developmental courses of lying. Besides, theexisting conclusions of the related contextual risk factors and protective factors of children’slying behavior is lacked clear conceptual framework, moreover, there is short of comprehensiveand thoroughly research.This thesis was designed to examine the development of lying and their risk and protectivefamilial factors using a horizontal design. Analysis of data focused on:(1) gender and agedifferences maybe in the development of lying;(2) the related risk factors and protective factorsin children’s family context, including the demographic characteristics, parenting style, andfamily environment.At first,451participants had been selected. Their parents have been asked to evaluate thechildren’ lying behavior and their family related factors, including family demographiccharacteristics, parenting style and family function.The main findings of the study were as follows:1. There were no age and gender differences in children’ lying behavior.2. Father’ occupation and the level of education have remarkable influence on children’slying behavior. The lying behavior of children, whose father is professional or quasi professionalpersonnel or corporate executive, is significantly higher than that of father are farmers orworkers; as for father is professional or quasi professional personnel, children’s lying behavior is significantly lower than that of father is corporate executive; at the same time, the lying behaviorof children, whose father is corporate executive, is significantly higher than that of father isself-employed. The lying behavior of children, whose father education to senior high school, issignificantly lower than that of father education to junior high school or college. Mother’occupation and the level of education have no remarkable influence on children’s lying behavior.Different types of families and family income have no remarkable influence on children’s lyingbehavior.3. For the low lie group, the father is significantly lower than the mother in the warmthfactor, while in the factor of punishment, father is significantly higher than the mother; for themoderate lie group, the father is significantly lower than the mother in the warmth factor,however, for the high lie group, there is no significant difference among various factors inparenting style.4. There is significantly correlation between children’s lying behavior and positive parentingstyles, indicating that they can serve as protective factors for children; while there is significantlycorrelation between children’s lying behavior and negative parenting style. It shows that they arerisk factors for the development of children.5. Children’s lying behavior was associated negative correlated with mother’s warmth andinduction; and it was associated positive correlated with rejection, punishment and indulgence.Children’s lying behavior was associated negative correlated with father’s warmth and induction;and it was associated positive correlated with rejection, and indulgence.6. Lying of three different degrees have significant difference in communication, roles,affective responsiveness, affective involvement, behavioral control.7. Family communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, behavioralcontrol and general function was significantly negative correlated with children’s lying behavior;good family functioning is the protective factor of lying.8. Mother’s rejection and father’s rejection can positively predict children lying behavior.The general functioning of the family can significantly negative predict lying behavior.