SECRECY IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

We investigated children's understanding of the nature of secrets as a n expression of their knowledge of the intentions of others. The sampl e of 200 was drawn from 5-, 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-year-old children (40 f rom each age group), with equal numbers of males and females, and equa l numbers from Berlin and Sydney, In structured interviews we tested t he children's understanding of four kinds of secrets: guilty, innocent , dangerous, and embarrassing. Differences across age were found for s ome secrets (e.g. telling mother guilty and dangerous secrets) but not for others (e.g. telling mother innocent and embarrassing secrets), a nd for some aspects of understanding mothers' and friends' intentions. Some gender and cultural differences were found, Findings are interpr eted in terms of children's understanding of the intentions of others and the emergence of peer solidarity and conscious trust.