If you’ve ever had the sneaky suspicion your toddler’s a master manipulator, prepare to feel vindicated. A new study suggests around one-quarter of children start to understand deception by as early as 10 months old (!!), and this rises to half of kids by the time they’re 17 months. Previous research has often focused on deception as something “very sophisticated”, however researchers in the new study were able to document much earlier forms of trickery in young kids. The study’s lead author, Elena Hoicka , Professor of Education at the University of Bristol, said: “It was fascinating to uncover how children’s understanding and usage of deception evolves from a surprisingly young age and builds in their first years so they become quite adept and cunning ‘little liars’.” What did the study involve? The parents of 750 children aged 0-47 months were asked a range of questions about their child’s deception development. Some parents noted their children’s deceptive ways began as early as eight months old. Once children learned the art of deception, this activity was found to be pretty frequent: half of children reported as “deceivers” had done something sneaky in the last day. By analysing the responses, researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Oxford, Sheffield, Warwick, and Waterloo in Canada, identified numerous types of deception that children mastered. What are the different types of deception? From the age of two, researchers found deception tends to be action-based, or requiring basic spoken responses. It might involve pretending not to hear a parent or caregiver say ‘time to tidy up’, hiding toys so others can’t play with them, or denial (like eating chocolate but shaking their head to say they didn’t when a parent asks if they ate it). They might also engage in “forbidden” activities in secret – for example, looking in a bag they were told not to look in when no one’s watching – or making excuses when asked to do something. By the age of three, the study found children started to understand and engage in even more types of deception, involving a deeper understanding of language and how other people’s minds work. This could mean exaggerating (for example, saying they ate all their peas when they ate far less); understating something; or flat-out lying (ie. saying a ghost ate their chocolate). They might also simply pretend not to know, see, or understand if they don’t want to do something. At this age, researchers said they also start to withhold information – for instance, telling their parents their sibling hit them, while leaving out the fact they hit their sibling first. Three-year-olds also start to use distraction techniques, like telling someone to ‘Look over there!’ when they want to do something they’re not supposed to. Prof Hoicka concluded that “parents can be reassured deception is entirely normal in toddler development”. “They can also look at our findings to know which types of deception to expect by age, so they can better understand and communicate with their children in order to stay one step ahead of their deceit,” she added. Related... Falls With Toothbrushes Can Cause Stroke In Toddlers, Says Neurologist A Doctor Gave Me Advice For Raising Toddlers. Now I Use It On Difficult Adults These 4 Reddit Hacks For Getting Toddlers To Comply Are *Chef's Kiss*