Happy with your child’s performance at school? There’s no reason at all to feel otherwise, right? However, a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology may give you some uneasiness regarding your kid’s aptitude.

A group of researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK concluded that those kids who are able to retain more information are also good in telling lies. This means that those little ones who can create great excuses and reasons after an undesirable action are usually more proficient in communication and are quick in memorization.

Dr. Elena Hoicka, a psychologist who is also a member of the aforementioned research team, said that although kids who come up with the best reasonable lies may sound adverse, parents may take this talent as an opportunity for their children to develop their innate intellect.

114 children of ages 6 to 7 years were participants of this research. They were asked to answer simple questions in a card. The answers of the questions are just found at the back of the card yet they were told not to peek. The researchers concealed cameras so as to see who did something that was prohibited. The ones who got correct answers were asked about what they saw at the back of the card. The ones who pretended not to know what was on the back of the card were classified as good liars while those that described the rear portion well were under the group of poor cheaters.

Dr. Hoicka said that as per their research, they have already established the clear correlation between the memory and the reasoning abilities in children. After the study, the group are planning to delve in deeper as to which circumstances can children learn their first lie.  This further probing can then draw a clearer picture of how complex the kids’ minds are.