In Brief: Jan. 1, 2000

TO TELL THE TRUTH Sociable kids are often good liars. That's the conclusion of a study in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior that tested youngsters' ability to hide their true opinion of a grape drink from a questioner. Socially skilled adolescents proved to be better at deception than those with lower social competence. They were better able to control their nonverbal clues, like facial expressions and mannerisms, when untruthful. The study suggests deception may be a component of social adeptness. If so, parents may want to stress to kids the difference between a white lie and a real one.

KILLING THE...

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