Abstract
Infant faces are very salient stimuli. The Kindchenschema describes specific features that characterize a cute infant face. In this study we used a visual adaptation paradigm to investigate the universality of the perceptual properties of the Kindchenschema. In Experiment 1, twenty-four participants adapted to cute and less cute human infant faces and in Experiment 2, twenty-four new participants adapted to cute and less cute faces of puppy dogs. In both experiments the task was to assess the cuteness of subsequently presented human infant faces. The results revealed cuteness after-effects for human infant faces in both adaptation conditions, suggesting a common mechanism coding cuteness in human and non-human faces. This study provides experimental evidence for the universality of the well-described concept of the Kindchenschema.
Highlights
After birth, infants of most species rely largely on parental care-taking behavior, such as protecting and feeding
The Kindchenschema is characterized by pedomorphic features such as a relatively large head compared to the size of the body, a relatively big cranium compared to the facial bones, large eyes that lie below the horizontal midline of the skull, a soft-elastic surface texture, and round and protruding cheeks
We calculated an analysis of variance (ANOVA) with adaptation condition and morph level (20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of the cute face) as within subject factors and participant sex as between subject factor
Summary
After birth, infants of most species rely largely on parental care-taking behavior, such as protecting and feeding. Care-taking behavior is crucial for the survival of the generation and secures the survival of the whole species. Characteristics inherent in infant faces facilitate such behavior. Konrad Lorenz (1943) [1] described the Kindchenschema as an innate releasing mechanism for care-taking behavior. According to Lorenz, the Kindchenschema works as a trigger for instinctive behavior such as taking a child into one’s arms. The Kindchenschema is characterized by pedomorphic features such as a relatively large head compared to the size of the body, a relatively big cranium compared to the facial bones, large eyes that lie below the horizontal midline of the skull, a soft-elastic surface texture, and round and protruding cheeks. Infants that conform to the Kindchenschema are commonly described as cute and evoke positive affective approach behavior
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