Developmental profiles of children’s spontaneous lie-telling behavior

•Age and theory of mind predicted the frequency and types of lies children tell at home.•Young children with high ToM had a lie-telling profile similar to older children.•Older children with low ToM told a high frequency of antisocial lies.

Lying emerges as a typical childhood behavior, but little is known about the frequency and types of lies that children tell in relation to age and theory of mind (ToM). This study explored the frequency and types of lies that children 3–14 years old (N = 229) told in their natural environments over two weeks, as reported by their parents. Results suggest that classes of lie-telling behavior emerge according to age and ToM: occasional liars (those with few lies reported across categories; 51%), instrumental liars (lies primarily for material benefit; 42%), and antisocial liars (lies primarily to avoid personal consequences; 7%). Children with lower ToM had a higher frequency of antisocial lies reported, which suggests the use of lie-telling as a problematic social behavior in children whose ToM lags behind their peers.