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Development of preference for conspecific faces in human infants
Wakako Sanefuji1, Kazuko Wada2, Tomoka Yamamoto3
1United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University.
Developmental Psychology
|December 4, 2013
Summary
Human infants initially prefer adult faces over infant faces, regardless of species. By three months, this preference extends to all human faces, suggesting early experience shapes social attention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Human Behavior
Background:
- Previous research suggests innate mechanisms for attending to conspecifics.
- Existing studies primarily used adult stimuli, leaving infant attention to conspecific infants unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether human infants' face preference extends beyond adult conspecifics.
- To determine the developmental trajectory of face preference in early infancy.
Main Methods:
- 1-month-old and 3-month-old infants were presented with human and monkey infant and adult faces.
- Infant looking time and discrimination abilities were measured to assess preferences.
Main Results:
- One-month-olds differentiated human and monkey infant faces but showed no preference.
- One-month-olds preferred adult humans over adult monkeys, replicating prior findings.
- By three months, infants preferred human faces (both infant and adult) over monkey faces.
Conclusions:
- Human infants' spontaneous preference for conspecific faces initially targets adults.
- This preference broadens to include conspecific infants by three months of age.
- Early experiences with adults may influence the development of innate social attention mechanisms.
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