Lying requires children to understand that others can hold false beliefs.

Children's ability to lie improves as their social-cognitive skills develop.

Some childhood lies reflect growing empathy and concern for others' feelings.

I remember coming into the kitchen and finding the four-year-old standing there, making an effort to look innocent. Smeared across his face were chocolate and crumbs from an illicit cookie he had snuck. The seven-year-old had managed to sneak away before I came into the kitchen, but I could see where he had put the chair up against the cupboard to climb up to reach the cookies and hand them down to his brother.

I said, somewhat pointlessly as I already knew the answer, “Have you been eating cookies?”

The answer was no, with a hopeful shaking of the head. Maybe I would believe him?!

I didn’t, and I followed up with “Those oatmeal cookies are out of bounds before dinner.”

And he replied earnestly, “It wasn’t oatmeal!” Aha, no, it was chocolate cookies instead.

If you are a parent, you likely have had a similar experience. Most parents worry when they discover their child has lied. Lying is not something we want our children to do, especially to us. Sometimes parents are concerned that it may be a sign of a behavior problem or of poor character.

But developmental psychologists see something more than misbehavior. Children’s lies can provide valuable clues about their cognitive,........

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