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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
03:56
A View of Their Own: Capturing the Egocentric View of Infants and Toddlers with Head-Mounted Cameras
Published on: October 5, 2018
Baby face enlarges perceived reachable space
Naoki Kuroda1,2,3, Shinya Harada4, Rena Morii5
1Research Organization of Open Innovation and Collaboration, Ritsumeikan University, 2-150 Iwakura-Cho, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-8570, Japan. n.kuroda25@gmail.com.
Experimental Brain Research
|July 22, 2026
Summary
Baby faces, not facial cuteness, expand humans' perception of reachable space (RS). This suggests our interaction range adjusts based on infant-like facial features, influencing personal space.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Reachable space (RS) perception is crucial for human interaction and can be influenced by facial expressions.
- Previous research indicates anger expands RS, but the effect of infant faces on RS is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how baby faces and facial cuteness affect perceived reachable space (RS).
- To determine if facial cuteness or specific facial features (like those of babies) modulate RS.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted in a virtual reality environment using baby and younger adult face stimuli.
- Participants judged their reachable space (RS) and perceived distances to the faces.
- Experiment 2 specifically tested for size constancy as an explanation for RS differences.
Main Results:
- Perceived RS was significantly larger for baby faces compared to younger adult faces.
- Facial cuteness did not significantly modulate perceived RS.
- Differences in perceived RS were not explained by size constancy or perceived distance.
Conclusions:
- Baby faces, independent of perceived cuteness, expand reachable space (RS).
- This suggests a specific response to infant-like features influencing our personal interaction boundaries.
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