What is this conversational stratagem called when someone wants to fish out certain information from you but, because they don't want to ask you about it directly (as they expect you might get uncomfortable, distressed or angry), they ask you simple innocent-looking questions instead; answers to these questions will make up for them a picture of what they actually want to know, whilst you are supposed to NOT comprehend/realize their sly plan?That stratagem is often employed by parents on their small kids not yet witted enough to get that they're being puppeted, psychiatrists on their patients, or simply by someone mistakenly thinking they're smarter than their interlocutor and so their tricks won't be comprehended.
What is this stratagem called when someone talks to you like you're a slow-witted kid?
terminology;communication;behavior