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Adults with siblings like children's faces more than those without
Lizhu Luo1, Keith M Kendrick1, Hong Li2
1Key Laboratory for Neuro-Information of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|October 15, 2014
Summary
Having siblings may enhance adults' positive perception of children's faces. This study suggests sibling experience extends the "baby schema" effect beyond infancy, influencing likeability judgments of older children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Social Neuroscience
Background:
- Infant faces trigger caretaking via the
- baby schema
- a biologically ingrained response.
- The influence of early life experiences, such as having siblings, on this response is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if having siblings affects adult likeability judgments of children's faces.
- To determine if sibling experience modulates the
- baby schema
- effect across different childhood ages.
Main Methods:
- Adults (with and without siblings) rated the likeability of 148 child face images (1 month to 6.5 years).
- Participant data included sibling status and age proximity to siblings.
Main Results:
- Both groups equally liked infant faces (<7 months).
- Adults without siblings showed decreased liking for older children's faces.
- Adults with siblings maintained high likeability for faces across all ages.
- Closer age proximity to siblings correlated with stronger likeability for children's faces.
Conclusions:
- Sibling experience can extend the positive affective response associated with the
- baby schema
- to older children.
- Early social experiences shape the perception and likeability of developing individuals.
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