Abstract
Adults detect conspecific faces more efficiently than heterospecific faces; however, the development of this own-species bias (OSB) remains unexplored. We tested whether 6- and 11-month-olds exhibit OSB in their attention to human and animal faces in complex visual displays with high perceptual load (25 images competing for attention). Infants (n=48) and adults (n=43) passively viewed arrays containing a face among 24 non-face distractors while we measured their gaze with remote eye tracking. While OSB is typically not observed until about 9 months, we found that, already by 6 months, human faces were more likely to be detected, were detected more quickly (attention capture), and received longer looks (attention holding) than animal faces. These data suggest that 6-month-olds already exhibit OSB in face detection efficiency, consistent with perceptual attunement. This specialization may reflect the biological importance of detecting conspecific faces, a foundational ability for early social interactions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 129-136 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Developmental Psychobiology |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Attention capture
- Eye tracking
- Face learning
- Face processing
- Face specialization
- Infant
- Own-species bias
- Perceptual attunement
- Saliency
- Social orienting
- Visual attention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Behavioral Neuroscience