Truth induction and children’s reporting accuracy: Developmental differences and cognitive correlates

Truth-telling is an important moral and communicative expectation, yet children’s ability to report accurately may depend on developing cognitive and linguistic capacities. This study examined whether a promise-based Truth Induction Procedure (TIP) was associated with children’s reporting accuracy and resistance to misleading questions. Sixty South Korean children aged 5–8 years were randomly assigned to TIP or control conditions and interviewed about a structured activity. Measures included free-recall accuracy, suggestibility, receptive vocabulary, and executive function. Children in the TIP condition showed higher recall accuracy and fewer false affirmations than controls, while older children demonstrated greater accuracy and lower suggestibility than younger children. Executive function and receptive vocabulary remained significantly associated with reporting outcomes after controlling for age. The findings suggest that truth-related commitments may support accurate reporting and that children’s enactment of honesty-related expectations depends partly on developing cognitive and linguistic capacities.