Asymmetries in infants’ attention toward and categorization of male faces: The potential role of experience

Abstract

Infants typically have a preponderance of experience with females, resulting in visual preferences for female faces, particularly high attractive females, and in better categorization of female relative to male faces. We examined whether these abilities generalized to infants’ visual preferences for and categorization of perceptually similar male faces (i.e., low masculine males). Twelve-month-olds visually preferred high attractive relative to low attractive male faces within low masculine pairs only (Exp. 1), but did not visually prefer low masculine relative to high masculine male faces (Exp. 2). Lack of visual preferences was not due to infants’ inability to discriminate between the male faces (Exps. 3 & 4). Twelve-month-olds categorized low masculine, but not high masculine, male faces (Exp. 5). Infants could individuate male faces within each of the categories (Exp. 6). Twelve-month-olds’ attention toward and categorization of male faces may reflect a generalization of their female facial expertise.

The Origins of Social Categorization

“…For example, infants prefer to look at female faces [55, 109], and at own-race faces [110]. These effects are due to familiarity and vary based on contact [55, 110].…”

Differential Trajectories in the Development of Attractiveness Biases Toward Female and Male Targets

“…Also, when 6-and 12-montholds saw pairs of male faces who differed in attractiveness, but were similar in masculinity, 6-month-olds showed no preference for high attractive males. The 12-month-olds, however, did show a visual preference for high attractive males, but only when the face pair was low masculine [39].…”

“…To summarize, when cues such as babyfaceness and masculinity are held constant within face pairs, young infants show no visual preference for attractive males [38,39]. By the end of the first year, however, they visually prefer high attractive males, but within low masculine face pairs only.…”

Moving forward with interdisciplinary research on attractiveness-related biases

“…For example, by 2 to 3 months, infants look more at high relative to low attractive female faces (Langlois et al 1987), whereas data regarding infants' interest in high attractive male faces are inconsistent (Ramsey et al 2005). By 6 months, infants categorize female, but not male, faces based on attractiveness (Ramsey et al 2004;Rennels et al 2016). Hence, females' attractiveness is salient very early in development.…”