Reproductive fitness and survival are enhanced by adaptive behaviors that are modulated by internal physiological states and external social contexts. The common bed bug,
Superior detection of faces in male infants at 2 months
Females generally attend more to social information than males; however, little is known about the early development of these sex
differences. With eye tracking, we measured 2-month-olds’ (N=101) social orienting to faces within 4-item image arrays. Infants, overall, were more likely to detect human faces compared to objects, suggesting a functional face detection system. Unexpectedly, males looked longer at human faces than females, and only males looked faster and longer at human faces compared to objects. Females, in contrast, looked less at human faces relative to animal faces and objects, appearing socially disinterested. Notably, this is the first report of a male face detection advantage at any age. These findings suggest a unique stage in early infant social development.
- Award ID(s):
- 1653737
- Publication Date:
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10202574
- Journal Name:
- Child development
- ISSN:
- 1467-8624
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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