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Superior Detection Of Faces In Male Infants At 2 Months, Sarah E. Maylott

Open Access Theses

Face detection is a foundational ability, guiding infants’ attention to relevant social information. However, little is known about face detection in the first months of life. Using eye-tracking, we measured 2-month-olds’ (N=72) social orienting to human faces, compared to animal faces and objects, presented within complex, 4-item arrays. Males looked faster and longer to human faces than females. Further, males, but not females, looked faster and longer to human faces compared to other images. This is the first study to report a male-advantage in face detection. While the causes and consequences remain to be determined, our findings suggest that attention …