Previous studies have revealed that there is a close relationship between the strength of an infant's baby schema and the degree of its perceived cuteness. The present study investigated the development of preference for baby schema in humans by examining the recognition of the cuteness of baby faces; two studies were conducted to examine whether children's evaluation of cuteness differed from that of adults. Facial photographs not only of humans (Homo sapiens), but a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis sylvestris catus) at different ages were used as stimuli. The volunteers were requested to rank these photographs in order of cuteness. Study 1 suggested that there was a range of period during which adults perceived the faces of these five species to be the cutest. Study 2 indicated that children's judgment of cuteness closely corresponded to that of the adults. In conclusion, the preference for baby schema is observed in humans even before they get to be sexually mature enough to reproduce. Childhood preference for baby schema might be the basis of social learning, including caretaking behaviors.

Adult imitation of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) is likely to be effective in facilitating their communicative gaze behaviors. This study compared imitative behaviors to contingent, but not-imitative, behaviors in children with ASD and those with typical development (TD). The caretakers were asked to play an imitative role to explore the effects of imitation intervention on parenting. The results indicated that children with ASD gazed longer at imitative behaviors than mere contingent behaviors while children with TD gazed at their mother irrespective of her type of intervention. The present study highlights the benefits of caretakers using imitation while caring for children with ASD. The power of imitation for children with ASD suggests its therapeutic application to home-based intervention by caretakers.

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Previous studies have consistently shown that simply imitating children with autism will help to promote amount of gaze and to decrease distance to others. However, whether the "being-imitated" strategy also affects the development of social cognition has not been clarified. We conducted a 2-month researcher-guided and home-based intervention. Mothers were randomly assigned to two groups: One group was coached to engage the child using imitation, and the other was coached simply to respond contingently to bids. Before and after the 2-month intervention, imitation skills, understanding the intentions of others' acts, and gaze toward mothers were measured. Two months of being-imitated enables the children to raise the general amount of their gaze interaction. The imitation skills also were promoted. On the other hand, the development of understanding others' intentions was not observed, irrespective of condition. The increase of attention to others, which is facilitated by the accumulation of the being-imitated experiences, can be generalized to the nonimitating person and results in the imitation of others by the child. Alternatively, the developmental linkages between the being-imitated strategy and understanding of others' intentions should be an important research task. The present study also indicates that caretakers can play a significant role in the intervention for a child with autism.

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