Study lead author Elena Hoicka, Professor of Education at the University of Bristol, said, "It was fascinating to uncover how children's understanding and usage of deception evolves from a surprisingly young age and builds in their first years, so they become quite adept and cunning 'little liars.'"

"Previous research has often focused on deception as something very sophisticated requiring strong language skills and an advanced understanding of others' minds. By considering how deception occurs in animals, including chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys, antelopes, and birds, and applying this to young children, we were able to document the first much earlier forms of deception in young children—and it would seem to start very early on indeed.

"As a mother of three children myself, I can certainly vouch for how artful and wily they can be. Hiding under the table or in the bathroom to eat sweets or chocolate is their common ploy."

The researchers asked the parents of more than 750 children aged from birth to 47 months from the U.K., U.S., Australia and Canada a range of questions about their child's deception development.

Some respondents reported their child first recognized the concept as early as 8 months. Deception activity was also found to be frequent. Once their child got started, the study showed that half of children reported as deceivers had done something sneaky in the last day.