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Updated: Jul 31, 2025

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Heightened fearfulness in infants is not adaptive
Marissa Ogren1, Lisa Feldman Barrett2,3,4, Katie Hoemann5
1Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, USA marissa.ogren@rutgers.edu; https://www.childstudycenter-rutgers.com/; vlobue@psychology.rutgers.edu.
Abstract:
Grossmann proposes the "fearful ape hypothesis," suggesting that heightened fearfulness in early life is evolutionarily adaptive. We question this claim with evidence that (1) perceived fearfulness in children is associated with negative, not positive long-term outcomes; (2) caregivers are responsive to all affective behaviors, not just those perceived as fearful; and (3) caregiver responsiveness serves to reduce perceived fearfulness.
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