Babies are naturally drawn to certain facial features, showing a preference for faces considered attractive and trustworthy.
Facial Preferences in Infants
Research indicates that even newborns exhibit a tendency to look longer at faces that adults typically rate as attractive. This early preference suggests an innate component to what babies find visually appealing.
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Newborns and Attractive Faces: Studies show that newborns orient towards more attractive faces (Slater et al., 1998, Slater et al., 2000). This means that from birth, babies show a bias towards looking at faces that are considered pleasing to the eye.
- This preference highlights that certain features are inherently appealing to infants.
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Attractive and Trustworthy Faces: As babies grow, they also begin to prefer faces that convey trustworthiness (Jessen & Grossmann, 2016; Langlois et al., 1987). Infants, typically a few months old, display a visual preference for these kinds of faces.
- This indicates that babies are not just attracted to "pretty" faces, but also to faces that appear safe and approachable.
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Early Preference: This phenomenon isn't learned; it's an innate preference. Babies exhibit it very soon after birth.
Summary of Baby's Visual Preferences
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Attractiveness | Babies prefer faces that adults typically deem as attractive. |
| Trustworthiness | Older infants show a visual preference for faces that appear trustworthy. |
| Early Onset | Preferences appear from birth, not learned or developed over time. |
| Innate Preference | Visual preferences are likely hardwired from birth. |
This preference for attractive and trustworthy faces is consistent across studies, suggesting an early foundation for social perception and interaction.
