This study examined whether Lorenz’ (1943) baby schema theory, which suggests that specific ‘cute’ facial features in infants evoke caregiving behavior in adults, also applies to children aged 3 to...Show moreThis study examined whether Lorenz’ (1943) baby schema theory, which suggests that specific ‘cute’ facial features in infants evoke caregiving behavior in adults, also applies to children aged 3 to 7. Responses of 81 non-mothers from the RADAR Young cohort study, aged 22 to 25, were examined. Participants completed two tasks to assess responses to photos of child faces with varying baby schema levels. Behavioral data were analyzed through ‘liking’ (cuteness ratings) and ‘wanting’ (watch time) tasks, while EEG captured neural responses across four key ERP components (P1, N170, P2 and LPP). Cuteness ratings, watch times and ERP amplitudes were compared between three baby schema levels using repeated measures ANOVAs. The results indicated that children with stronger baby schema traits were rated as cuter and motivated adults to spend more time viewing their photos, supporting the hypothesis that more baby schema traits are linked to increased liking and wanting behaviors in adults. While behavioral data confirmed these effects, EEG results showed no significant differences in most neural face processing components (P1, N170, LPP) across the baby schema levels. Higher baby schema faces were however, in comparison to low baby schema faces, linked to stronger neural activation in the P2, which is mainly associated with face typicality and emotional relevance. These findings suggest that baby schema characteristics in young children can still evoke specific caregiving responses, even beyond infancy, and highlight the possible emotional impact of these features on adult perception and behavior.Show less
One of the many common consequences of experiencing trauma in childhood is a tendency to develop psychopathological symptoms in adolescence and early adulthood. A growing area of psychological...Show moreOne of the many common consequences of experiencing trauma in childhood is a tendency to develop psychopathological symptoms in adolescence and early adulthood. A growing area of psychological research is focusing on uncovering factors that make certain children resilient to the development of these symptoms. According to a study done by Kasparek et al. in 2020, behavioral sensitivity to reward is one such resiliency factor. They found that reward sensitivity moderates the relationship between childhood trauma and developing externalizing symptoms later in life. The present study assessed the robustness of Kasparek et al.’s results via regression analysis and F-tests for equality of variance. This was done using a modified bootstrapping method to remove increasing percentages of participants from random, central, and extreme values of the sample. Despite the significant changes in F-values between the subsamples, the interaction coefficient itself remained relatively stable in the central and extreme conditions, indicating a moderately high probability that the interaction effect does exist in the real world.Show less
