Answer:
Answer given below.Step-by-step explanation:
Without knowing the specific study and text you are referring to, I can offer a general answer based on research on lying and deception.
Research has consistently shown that telling small lies and fibs can lead to bigger lies over time. This phenomenon is known as the "slippery slope of lying." According to this theory, telling small lies can lead to desensitization to dishonesty, which can then make it easier to tell bigger lies.
For example, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that participants who were instructed to lie repeatedly for a week about small things, such as brushing their teeth, ended up telling bigger lies in subsequent weeks compared to a control group who were instructed to tell the truth. The researchers concluded that "repeated, small acts of dishonesty can escalate into larger transgressions."
Another study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that even when people know they will face negative consequences for lying, they still tend to lie more after telling small lies than after telling the truth. The researchers suggested that this is because telling small lies makes it easier to justify subsequent, larger lies.
Therefore, if an author's main claim is that small lies and fibs can lead to big lies, they could use the findings from these and similar studies to support their argument. The evidence suggests that even seemingly insignificant lies can have a cumulative effect that ultimately leads to more significant dishonesty.