Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
06:07

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Preference for peers in infancy

Wakako Sanefuji1, Hidehiro Ohgami, Kazuhide Hashiya

  • 1Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, 6-19-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. wakko-s@mrh.biglobe.ne.jp <wakko-s@mrh.biglobe.ne.jp>

Infant Behavior & Development
|December 2, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Infants prefer peers similar to themselves, not just those with babyish features. This study explored infant social preferences, finding that 6- and 9-month-olds favored same-age peers in visual tasks.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Infant Social Cognition

Background:

  • Infants show a preference for other infants over adults.
  • This preference is often attributed to 'babyish' features or self-similarity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To differentiate between preference for 'babyish' characteristics and preference for self-similar peers in infants.
  • To investigate if infants prefer same-age peers over younger or older infants.

Main Methods:

  • Presented 6- and 9-month-old infants with visual stimuli (movies and static images) of infants of different ages.
  • Recorded infant looking preferences to assess social preference.

Main Results:

  • Nine-month-olds preferred same-age infants in movie stimuli.
  • Both 6- and 9-month-olds preferred static images of same-age infants.
  • Six-month-olds' lack of preference for same-age infants in movies may relate to information processing abilities.

Conclusions:

  • Infant peer preference is primarily driven by physical similarity to oneself.
  • The findings suggest self-similarity is a stronger cue than general 'babyishness' for early social preference.

More Related Videos

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG08:20

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG

Published on: May 3, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity01:23

Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity

Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings01:29

Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings

Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or inconsistent. For...