Infants' reactions to unfamiliar adults varying in novelty

Assessed the 10-mo-old infant's reactions to a new adult as a function of the relative novelty of the adult. Each of the 12 Ss, in an unfamiliar environment with his mother, first faced a new adult who sat at a distance and responded simply to his overtures. In a 2nd contrast trial he faced the same new adult (familiarized adult) and another adult never before seen (novel adult). Ss reacted by looking and smiling at the new adults, but they smiled reliably more often at a more novel adult, whether the contrast was drawn between the initial minute with a new adult and later minutes or between the novel adult and the familiarized adult. Results are consonant with the proposition that the infant's smiles at new persons represent his active exploration of them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1975 American Psychological Association.

Duke Scholars

Author Carol O. Eckerman Psychology & Neuroscience