Suppose you show a newborn infant four photographs, one of his mother smiling, one of his mother making a fearful face, one of a stranger smiling, and one of a stranger making a fearful face. Which photograph should you expect the newborn to look at for the longest time?
A) the smiling mother
B) the fearful mother
C) the smiling stranger
D) the fearful stranger

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In one research study, when presented with pictures of their mother and an unfamiliar woman, even infants as young as 2 weeks of age preferred to look at their mother's photo, and they sometimes turned completely away from the image of the stranger. Other research demonstrated that when newborns only a few days old were presented with pictures of a happy face and a fearful face, they looked longer at the happy face. Combining these findings, one would expect the newborn to look longest at the smiling mother.

Suppose You Show a Newborn Infant Four Photographs, One of His