Boys' lying and social adjustment in pre-adolescence: teachers', peers' and self-reports

Boys' frequent lying was assessed twice over a 12‐month interval between 11 and 12 years of age, using teacher, peer and self‐reported data. Comparisons between the three sources of data revealed some concordance between peer and teacher reports on the frequency of lying, but a poor concordance between subjects' own and others' report on the frequency of lying. Behavioural characteristics of four groups of boys were compared: perceived and self‐reported liars; perceived and self‐reported non‐liars; not perceived and self‐reported liars; not perceived and self‐reported non‐liars. Boys perceived as liars were rated by peers as more aggressive, less likeable and more withdrawn. They were rated by teachers as fighting more, being more hyper‐active, oppositional and inattentive; the boys also reported more delinquent behaviours. Self‐reported liars were not perceived as having more adjustment problems but they reported more delinquent behaviours. Thus, results confirmed that preadolescent boys perceived as liars are also perceived by others and themselves as having more behaviour problems; however, the self‐reported liars are perceived as having behaviour problems only by themselves. These results indicated that the association between lying and social adjustment problems cannot be reduced to a negative reputation effect, but further studies were proposed to clarify the developmental links underlying the association. Copyright © 1998 Whurr Publishers Ltd.