LYING BETTER WHEN THEY SLEEP? THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP AND LYING BEHAVIOUR AMONG SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Sleep is undoubtedly crucial for optimal daytime functioning (Lim & Dinges, 2010), with adequate sleep shown to benefit cognitive outcomes in school-aged children (Short et al., 2018). However, there is sparse literature on the relationship between sleep and neurobehavioral development in children. This study aimed to investigate the association between key sleep features, executive functioning and lying behaviour. The sample consisted of 34 school-aged children aged 7 to 12 (20 males). Sleep was measured with sleep diary, actigraphy, and polysomnography. The inhibition component of executive function was assessed with the Flanker Task. Peeking and lying behaviour was evaluated with the Temptation Resistance Task. No significant association was found between sleep, executive function, and dishonest behaviour. However, an increase in age was associated with higher odds of lying. Taken together with the null association found between age, inhibition skill and lying sophistication, the study proposes the possibility that distinct EF entities develop at different rates in school-aged children.