Hunt, Benjamin W 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8556-9447 and De Pascalis, Leonardo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9150-3468
(2023)
In the mind of the beholder: The effects of habituation on the perception of atypical infant facial configurations.
[Data Collection]
Description
Infant faces are strong attentional attractors. Disruption to their typical configuration can, however, attenuate their attractiveness, as rated by adult observers. Previous research has either focused on how ratings are affected by observer characteristics (e.g., male/female), or alterations to infant faces, either experimentally, or naturalistically induced, such as the presence of a cleft lip. Little research has however been conducted on the effects of observer experience on adult ratings of infant facial attractiveness. Such effects could inform clinical work and policies aimed at promoting positive perception of facial malformations. The present study thus explored the effects of habituation on how typical and atypical infant facial configurations are evaluated by adult observers. We recruited two groups of female participants and compared their subjective attractiveness ratings of infant faces (24 typical and 24 cleft-affected), at baseline, and at a one-week follow-up. Between the two assessments, one group (n=44) underwent a week-long training phase, where they were familiarised with cleft lip/palate-related visual and informational stimuli, while the control group (n=41) received no training. Significantly higher ratings were provided for faces of typically developing versus cleft-affected infants by both groups of participants at baseline. At follow-up, this pattern of ratings was repeated in participants belonging to the control group, while familiarised participants showed an increase, compared to baseline, in their ratings of cleft-affected faces and no difference between their evaluation of the latter and that of typically developing faces. The reported findings extend our understanding of the role of observer experiences in the evaluation of infant faces, beyond the effects of the structural characteristics of the observed faces. Results also highlight familiarity as a potentially protective influence against the negative consequences of alterations to typical facial configurations, suggesting possible avenues for intervention in supporting adult caregivers in the context of neonatal facial malformations.
| Keywords: | Kindchenschema, infants, cleft lip/palate, subjective ratings, attractiveness |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health > Psychology |
| Depositing User: | Benjamin Hunt |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Feb 2023 11:12 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Feb 2023 11:12 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/2144 |
| URI: | https://datacat.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2144 |
Available Files
Data
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 |
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 |
