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Inferring character from faces: a developmental study
Emily J Cogsdill1, Alexander T Todorov, Elizabeth S Spelke
11Harvard University.
Psychological Science
|February 27, 2014
Summary
Children as young as 3 years old can infer character traits from faces, similar to adults. This ability to judge trustworthiness, dominance, and competence from facial cues develops early in childhood.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Cognition
- Facial Perception
Background:
- Adults readily attribute character traits to faces with high consensus.
- Understanding the developmental origins of face-to-trait inference is crucial for social cognition research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of face-to-trait inference in children.
- To determine the age at which children's attributions align with adult consensus.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with adults and children aged 3 to 10 years.
- Participants attributed traits (trustworthiness, dominance, competence) to pairs of faces.
Main Results:
- 3- to 4-year-olds' attributions showed convergence with adult judgments.
- 5- to 6-year-olds exhibited adult-level consistency in their attributions.
- Children aged 3 and above consistently made basic 'mean/nice' evaluations based on facial cues.
Conclusions:
- The predisposition to judge character from facial information emerges in early childhood in adultlike forms.
- This ability does not necessitate extensive social experience for its development.
Keywords:
cognitive developmentopen dataopen materialsphysical appearancesocial cognitionsocial perceptionMore Related Videos
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