CONSISTENCY AND CHANGE IN CHILDRENS TATTLING ON THEIR SIBLINGS - CHILDRENS PERSPECTIVES ON THE MORAL RULES AND PROCEDURES OF FAMILY-LIFE

Children's tattling on their siblings was observed in 39 families when children were 2- and 4- and 4- and 6-years of age. Tattling was more frequent among older siblings, and increased across time, despite a co rresponding decrease in sibling transgressions against one another and an increase in parents' negative reactions to tattling. Tattling was largely truthful, implicit in form, and more likely to concern transgr essions of what parents also regarded as more important standards. Amo ng 4- and 6-year-olds, tattling was related to children's negative beh aviour to one another and equally likely when children faced ongoing c onflict issues nad when they merely wished to inform parents of siblin g wrongdoing. Parents generally allowed their children to tattle on on e another, rarely reprimanded tattlers, but responded to the informati on contained in the tattlers' reports. The parents' responses were rel ated to the quality of their children's tattling, but the children's t attling was unrelated to the likelihood that parents would react eithe r positively or negatively to it. Results are discussed in terms of th e place of tattling within the family system, with emphasis on the chi ldren's understanding of the implications of their parents' involvemen t in their own disputes.