Why do children use loopholes?
Children intentionally misunderstand instructions to bend the rules
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Cognitive scientist Tomer Ullman’s research is often inspired by his children. His recent research was sparked by an amusing and aggravating interaction with his then 5-year-old.
“He’s watching videos, and I tell him, ‘Gabriel, it’s time to put the phone down.’ So, he puts the phone down physically on the table and keeps watching,” says Ullman, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. “It’s clear that he knew what I meant.”
The letter of the law was followed but not the spirit — his son had found a loophole. After recognizing his son’s clever use of loopholes, Ullman began noticing them in life, law, and literature. We use loopholes to interpret ambiguous language in a way that better aligns with our own goals. Centuries-old fables tell of ordinary folk outwitting malevolent forces with the help of a loophole. Legal loopholes can be exploited to circumvent the law.
Parents, caregivers, and teachers are confronted by children’s loophole behavior as an alternative to outright disobedience. Through a series of experiments, Ullman and his colleagues examined how children develop these behaviors.
The findings suggest that children’s use of loopholes — exasperating for adults at times — showcases a converging, complex set of social and cognitive processes needed to navigate the challenges of cooperation.
“Parents shouldn’t be worried if their child is using loopholes, and I wouldn’t be in the business of trying to drive the behavior down, either,” he says. “It seems like a very natural part of development, and it’s worth pondering all the skills they need to have the ability to use loopholes.”
“Parents shouldn’t be worried if their child is using loopholes.”
Tomer Ullman
First, the researchers surveyed 260 American parents. Sixty percent of children were reported to have engaged in loophole behavior, typically beginning at ages 5 and 6, peaking a couple of years later, and tapering off around 9 or 10. Interestingly, parents noticed a decline as their children entered adolescence — although adults, too, use loopholes.
Next, 108 4- to 9-year-olds were shown 12 scenarios, based on real loopholes, that were shared by surveyed parents. For example, Bo’s father tells him it’s time to get in the tub. Bo can comply (take a bath), disobey (keep playing with his toys), or find a loophole (climb into the empty tub and continue playing with his toys).
The children observed that loopholes led to more trouble than compliance did, but less trouble than disobedience. They also found loopholes funnier than either compliance or disobedience.
“That’s been one of the most fun things about this project, but also a big mystery. It’s obvious that loopholes are funny — reliably, the loophole option will generate a chuckle — but why?” Ullman says.
“Loopholes, like puns, bring together two things that are incompatible: cooperating and not cooperating at the same time.”
Perhaps it’s because loopholes, like puns, bring together two things that are incompatible: cooperating and not cooperating at the same time. Humor could be another reason children use loopholes — to provoke a laugh and to have a better chance of coming away scot-free.
Lastly, fifty 5- to 9-year-olds were told to help a child in a story be “a little tricky or sneaky” about not fulfilling a parent’s request. As predicted, the older children generated more loopholes.
Tracing the emergence of loophole behavior contributes to a broader understanding of social reasoning and communication. Finding loopholes is no small feat. Children must understand how context influences meaning in language and social interactions, and be able to take other people’s goals into account. Essentially, loophole behavior may be a step towards learning to cooperate when one’s own goals conflict with those of others.
“Loophole behavior is a creative, interesting, humorous thing that children do, and it should be appreciated as such.”
Tomer Ullman
Adults might be tempted to stop children from exploiting loopholes. For example, Ullman suggests adding “…and no funny business!” to a request. But he also emphasizes that loopholes ultimately teach children about the nuances of everyday social interactions. “Loophole behavior is a creative, interesting, humorous thing that children do, and it should be appreciated as such.”
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