不要呵斥撒谎孩子

   For parents driven to distraction by their children's little white lies,here is the good news.

   Far from being a sign of future problems,research has shown that children who fib from an early age are more likely to become high-flying leaders,executives and bankers.

   The complex brain processes involved in formulating a lie are indicators of a toddler's intelligence,it is claimed.

   So the next time your son or daughter denies having touched the chocolate biscuits despite the suspicious brown smears around their mouth,there is no need to worry,according to researchers.

   A study of 1,200 children found that a fifth of two-year-olds are likely to tell lies,rising to 90 per cent from the age of four.This figure increases further until children reach their lying peak at 12.

   But no link was found between telling porkies and a tendency to cheat in exams or commit fraud in later life.

   Dr Kang Lee,director of the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University,examined children aged two to 17. He said:"Parents should not be alarmed if their child tells a fib."

   Their children are not going to turn out to be pathological liars.Almost all children lie.It is a sign that they have reached a new developmental milestone.

   Those who have better cognitive development lie better because they can cover up their tracks.

   "They may make bankers in later life."Lying shows that children have developed "executive functioning"-----a complex juggling act which involves manipulating several brain processes to keep the truth at the back of their mind, Dr Lee said.

   Surprisingly,children's aptitude for fibbing was not influenced by strict parenting ot a religious upbringing,the study showed.

   Dr Lee enticed children to lie by telling them not to peek at a purple Barney toy dinosaur placed behind their back.He then left the room for one minute--giving them ample time to look,while their reaction was filmed.Nine out of ten did turn round.

  But when asked by the tester,the majority denied it.While the study found the most deceitful age was 12,the propensity to fib dropped to about 70 per cent once the children had turned 16.