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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
05:35
Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
Beyond the baby schema: Objects being touched are perceived to be cute
Akane Ohashi1, Hiroshi Nittono1
1Graduate School of Human Sciences, The University of Osaka, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Plos One
|February 19, 2026
Summary
Cuteness perception is influenced by both physical features and social interactions. Objects being touched by someone are perceived as cuter, regardless of their inherent baby schema characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Cuteness research traditionally focused on the 'baby schema' (physical traits).
- Recent studies suggest interaction characteristics, like physical contact, also evoke cuteness (kawaii).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how physical contact influences perceived cuteness.
- To examine the interplay between baby schema features and physical contact in cuteness perception.
Main Methods:
- Online surveys conducted in Japan and the United States (N=397).
- Participants rated cuteness of objects in photos manipulated for baby schema features and physical contact.
- Assessed impressions of the person in the photo and their inferred feelings.
Main Results:
- Objects with higher baby schema features were rated as cuter.
- Objects being touched were also rated as cuter, independent of baby schema.
- These effects extended to perceptions of the person and their feelings.
Conclusions:
- Perceived cuteness is determined by both inherent physical traits (baby schema) and relational factors like physical contact.
- Physical contact enhances cuteness perception, suggesting a broader understanding of kawaii beyond morphology.
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