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Nine-month-old infants prefer unattractive bodies over attractive bodies

Michelle Heron-Delaney1, Paul C Quinn, Kang Lee

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. michelle.delaney@uq.edu.au

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|March 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Nine-month-old infants prefer less attractive male body shapes when heads are hidden. This suggests early body shape preferences are based on familiarity, not cultural ideals.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Infant perception
  • Body image research

Background:

  • Infant perception of body shapes is not well understood.
  • Cultural ideals of attractiveness may influence early preferences.
  • Familiarity with certain body shapes could play a role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate infant preferences for attractive versus unattractive male body shapes.
  • To determine the age at which infants develop preferences for specific body types.
  • To explore the role of familiarity versus cultural stereotypes in shaping these preferences.

Main Methods:

  • Visual preference and habituation procedures were used.
  • Infants (3.5, 6, and 9 months) were shown images of male body shapes.
  • Looking behavior was recorded to assess preference and discrimination.

Main Results:

  • Nine-month-olds preferred unattractive male body shapes over attractive ones when head information was obscured.
  • Six-month-olds could discriminate between attractive and unattractive body shapes but showed no preference.
  • 3.5-month-olds neither discriminated nor showed a preference.
  • Preferences were only observed when facial cues were absent.

Conclusions:

  • Infant preference for certain body shapes is influenced by exposure and familiarity.
  • Early preferences may not be based on culturally defined attractiveness stereotypes.
  • Perception of body shape in infants is complex and develops with age.

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