The Purest Cynics are in Kindergarten

dr. what · Post by **dr. what** » 2005-05-26 12:21pm

Yeah--right...

Cynicism takes hold early in humans, if you believe a new study from Yale.

Kids in fact appear to be better at it than you.

The study involved 20 children each in kindergarten, second grade and fourth grade. They were told short stories in which the characters made statements that were in their best self-interest in competitive situations.

Outright lies were generally recognized by all the children. But when the statement could affect the outcome of a close contest, the second graders, compared to the younger children, exhibited more savvy in recognizing cases in which self-interest might also involve inaccurate claims.

"As adults, we recognize that a person's self-interests, such as their desire to win recognition or fit in with their peers, can influence what they say and believe about the world," said Candice Mills, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology who worked on the study. "Our research shows that children may be more gullible than adults, but the seeds of doubt are also present from an early age and develop dramatically in the elementary school years."

If the seeds of doubt are planted early, they also appear to flower pretty quickly.

In a separate test in the same study, the kindergartners were the most likely to think characters were lying, whereas the older children tended to attribute inaccurate statements to pure mistake.

"Most elementary school age children are in fact harsher judges of others than adults and older children," said study leader Frank Keil, a professor of psychology and linguistics. "It seems that, early on, it is much easier to see falsehoods as caused by deliberate malice than as caused unwittingly by desires."

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-26 02:05pm

Adult:"Aw, what a cute little baby!"

Baby: He's a pedophile and wants to rape me.

Mr. B · Post by **Mr. B** » 2005-05-27 01:57am

I learned all my cynicism from reading Garfield comics...starting in kindergarten.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-05-27 11:06am

I still remember Matthew coming home from school one day a couple of years ago and complaining about one of his classmates. It went something like this:

MATTHEW: I don't like him. He's always talking about God. Who is God? Is he make-believe?

Classic kid's response, and not at all surprising since I never bothered teaching him anything at all about God, either positive or negative. However, it does go to show you how some kids are already heavily indoctrinated (already proselytizing at the age of 6!), and that a kid without pre-existing indoctrination won't be particularly inclined to believe any of that bullshit. Cynicism should be built into any reasonably self-aware child.

PS. I was expecting to be able to wait a few more years before discussing this issue with him, but this little ass-wipe in his class had forced my hand when my boy was only 6 years old for fuck's sake.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-27 01:48pm

I think fundies would faint if they heard your kid.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-05-27 02:51pm

Little kids will repeat whatever their parents tell them or hear them say. I've lost count of stories I've heard about someone's child repeating something someone said behind another's backs to that person's face.

SAMAS · Post by **SAMAS** » 2005-05-27 07:33pm

wolveraptor wrote:I think fundies would faint if they heard your kid.

Can we watch?

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-27 08:47pm

Darth Servo wrote:Little kids will repeat whatever their parents tell them or hear them say. I've lost count of stories I've heard about someone's child repeating something someone said behind another's backs to that person's face.

Hell yes! I've gotten my little sisters to say my dad's a racist (which he sorta is). Boo yah!!

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2005-05-29 10:40am

Darth Servo wrote:Little kids will repeat whatever their parents tell them or hear them say. I've lost count of stories I've heard about someone's child repeating something someone said behind another's backs to that person's face.

Heh, when I was volunteering at the school this year one of my Kindergarteners asked me if Jesus lived with the dinosaurs.. god I was so torn with how to answer. Say no? Say something about religion that'll probably go right over his head? ....say yes and hope the kid repeats it to his parents?

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-29 11:40am

...you are a vindictive bastard

Natorgator · Post by **Natorgator** » 2005-05-29 02:24pm

Darth Wong wrote:I still remember Matthew coming home from school one day a couple of years ago and complaining about one of his classmates. It went something like this:

MATTHEW: I don't like him. He's always talking about God. Who is God? Is he make-believe?

Classic kid's response, and not at all surprising since I never bothered teaching him anything at all about God, either positive or negative. However, it does go to show you how some kids are already heavily indoctrinated (already proselytizing at the age of 6!), and that a kid without pre-existing indoctrination won't be particularly inclined to believe any of that bullshit. Cynicism should be built into any reasonably self-aware child.

PS. I was expecting to be able to wait a few more years before discussing this issue with him, but this little ass-wipe in his class had forced my hand when my boy was only 6 years old for fuck's sake.

Do your kids believe in Santa Claus?

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-05-29 11:01pm

SylasGaunt wrote:Heh, when I was volunteering at the school this year one of my Kindergarteners asked me if Jesus lived with the dinosaurs.. god I was so torn with how to answer. Say no? Say something about religion that'll probably go right over his head? ....say yes and hope the kid repeats it to his parents?

You tell them "no". Even hardcore fundie idiots don't believe there were dinosaurs 2000 years ago. According to those morons, they all died in the great flood.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-31 12:27pm

Not strictly true. Many believe that they were on the ark, and still exist today.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2005-05-31 07:31pm

wolveraptor wrote:Not strictly true. Many believe that they were on the ark, and still exist today.

Of Course! How elsewould the Loch Ness monster be hanging around?

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-31 08:26pm

What amazed me at first is that Christians often hang on to folk superstition. I was under the impression that the Bible declared all that lies, because it was the one truth. Then I find out that YECs believe in:
El Chupacabra-a dromaeosaurid
Nessie-a plesiosaur
Mkele-membe...or however the fuck you spell it-a miniature sauropod.

The trouble is, being a dinosaurophile, I'd LOVE for all that to be true.

Lucifer · Post by **Lucifer** » 2005-05-31 09:32pm

And I thought children were bright because they don't make assumptions like we do. Maybe they are better at detecting falsehoods because of that.

Darth Servo · Post by **Darth Servo** » 2005-06-01 07:21pm

wolveraptor wrote:Not strictly true. Many believe that they were on the ark, and still exist today.

Would those be the ones who still think the Earth is flat?