'Look away when I speak to you'

Wait, I'm thinking

For years, parents and teachers have ordered children to 'look at me when I'm speaking to you'.

Children who dared turn away were accused of being rude or of failing to pay attention.

But now a report suggests that rather than being rude, children turn away to help them think.

What's more, they probably pick up the habit from adults, says psychologist Dr Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon from Stirling University in Scotland.

Questions asked

Dr Doherty-Sneddon and colleagues have carried out research into how children react when they are asked questions.

In one of these studies, they compared the behaviour of a group of five-year-olds to children who were three years older.

It is something to be encouraged rather than discouraged Dr Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon, Stirling University

They found that the eight-year-olds were more likely to avert their gaze than five-year-olds. This was particularly true if they were asked a difficult question.

The researchers believe this shows that the tendency to turn away is learnt.

"Gaze aversion in response to difficult questions is a skill that develops with age, rather than being an innate behavioural response," said Dr Doherty-Sneddon.

Writing in The Psychologist, she said the findings could have implications for the way parents and teachers deal with children.

"The finding is potentially important for the way children are seen to engage in learning situations.

"There is a tendency in many cultures to encourage children to 'look at me when I'm speaking to you' and to interpret looking away as a sign of disengagement or lack of interest.

"What our research clearly shows was that primary-school-aged children used gaze aversion to help them concentrate on difficult material."

She added: "It is something to be encouraged rather than discouraged."