Title: Socio-Cognitive Development in Childhood and Its Implications for Children’s Lie Behaviour: Research-Based Insights

Abstract: Applied developmental psychology acts as a bridge between theory, research and practice by translating developmental concepts to real-world understanding. My work demonstrates this connection by particularly focusing on social cognition as a developmental milestone. The major component of socio-cognitive development is Theory of Mind (ToM), “the ability to ascribe mental states to self and to others.” ToM is important not only for holding meaningful conversations with people but also for seemingly socially "unsanctioned" behaviours like bullying, manipulation, and lying. However, the important question my studies focus on is, “Are lies always socially dysfunctional?” The answer is no. Lying is a developmental milestone on its own and indicates children’s attainment of ToM and other cognitive abilities. Based on this, I go a step further in asserting that lie-telling and lie-detecting are two branches of lie behaviour in children. Both these abilities are based on the same skills mentioned above and thus should be studied together. In the talk, I will explain the basis of my assertion and research work that substantiates it. I will further discuss the process of constructing valid measures and paradigms to assess the lie behaviour of children. My work on the socio-cultural factors influencing the development of lie behaviour will also be discussed along with my work on other topics of applied developmental psychology. In the end, I will focus on my future research projects and ideas, followed by my vision to establish a connection between the institution and community, upholding the spirit of theory, research, and practice in applied developmental psychology.

About the Speaker: Dr. Radhika Khurana is an assistant professor (guest) in the Department of Psychology, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, India. She is a Ph.D. from University of Delhi and works in the field of applied developmental psychology. Particularly, her interest lies in the area of socio-cognitive development in children and its implications for lie behaviour. Her research also lies in the area of various social-cultural factors influencing lie behaviour in children. Her research methodology focuses on constructing developmental tasks and paradigms to assess children for various developmental abilities. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on various topics and has presented her work in various national and international conferences. Through her work, she tries to bridge the gap between theory, research and practice in the area of applied developmental psychology. 

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