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Unattractive infant faces elicit negative affect from adults.
Stevie S Schein1, Judith H Langlois1
1The University of Texas at Austin, Psychology, 108 E. Dean Keeton, Austin, TX 78712, United States.
Infant Behavior & Development
|February 7, 2015
Summary
Adults showed more negative facial muscle activity in response to unattractive infant faces. This suggests a potential risk for negative affective responses toward vulnerable infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Affective Neuroscience
Background:
- Infant attractiveness influences adult perception and behavior.
- Facial attractiveness is a key factor in social interactions.
- Understanding adult responses to infant cues is crucial for developmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between infant facial attractiveness and adult affective responses.
- To determine if infant attractiveness elicits distinct facial muscle movements in adults.
Main Methods:
- Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure adult facial muscle activity.
- Participants (N=87) viewed infant faces varying in attractiveness.
- EMG recorded activity in corrugator supercilii and levator labii superioris muscles.
Main Results:
- Unattractive infant faces elicited significantly greater corrugator supercilii movement.
- Unattractive infant faces also evoked greater levator labii superioris movement.
- These muscle movements are physiological correlates of negative affect.
Conclusions:
- Infant attractiveness significantly impacts adult physiological affective responses.
- Unattractive infants may elicit negative affective responses from adults.
- The link between adult affective responses and caregiving behavior requires further investigation.
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