Newborn girls show more interest in faces than boys, study finds
Cambridge researchers tested 130 newborns. They found girls spent more time watching human faces. Boys focused more on moving objects.
Scientists at Cambridge's Autism Research Centre studied 130 babies. The babies were studied just hours after birth, before social influences could shape their behavior.
Each infant watched two videos side by side. One showed a human face.
The other showed a Newton's cradle, a desk toy with swinging metal balls. Newborns generally preferred the face.
But girls watched it much longer than boys. Boys devoted more attention to the moving metal balls.
The finding suggests biology influences some behavioral differences from birth. Researchers stressed the results describe group averages.
They are not rules for individual children. Both genetics and upbringing shape development throughout childhood.
- 130 newborns
- Babies studied
- Cambridge Autism Research Centre
- Institution
- Hours after birth
- Timing
- Human face vs Newton's cradle
- Test objects
Why it mattersThe study suggests inborn biological factors influence gender differences in social attention and learning. This could help explain why girls typically develop language skills slightly faster than boys.
AustraliaAustralian researchers and parents now have early-life evidence that some gender differences in social engagement may be biological rather than purely learned, though individual variation remains large.
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