Abstract
Previous findings suggest that infants prefer other infants from among individuals of various ages. There are two explanations for this: one is that like adults, infants prefer babyish characteristics; the other is that infants prefer individuals who are similar to themselves. We examined whether infants respond differently to same-age infants from among older or younger infants. This might allow the possibility of methodologically separating the two explanations for peer preference in infancy. The results revealed that 9-month-olds showed peer preference when they saw movies of infants. Further experiments showed that 6- and 9-month-olds preferred static images of same-age infants. The lack of preference of 6-month-olds for movies of same-age infants could be related to their ability to process information. Thus, the cue for peer preference may be physical similarity to oneself, rather than the strength of babyish characteristics reflecting a particular developmental stage.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 584-593 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Infant Behavior and Development |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 1 2006 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
Cite this
Preference for peers in infancy. / Sanefuji, Wakako; Ohgami, Hidehiro; Hashiya, Kazuhide.
In: Infant Behavior and Development, Vol. 29, No. 4, 01.12.2006, p. 584-593.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Preference for peers in infancy
AU - Sanefuji, Wakako
AU - Ohgami, Hidehiro
AU - Hashiya, Kazuhide
PY - 2006/12/1
Y1 - 2006/12/1
N2 - Previous findings suggest that infants prefer other infants from among individuals of various ages. There are two explanations for this: one is that like adults, infants prefer babyish characteristics; the other is that infants prefer individuals who are similar to themselves. We examined whether infants respond differently to same-age infants from among older or younger infants. This might allow the possibility of methodologically separating the two explanations for peer preference in infancy. The results revealed that 9-month-olds showed peer preference when they saw movies of infants. Further experiments showed that 6- and 9-month-olds preferred static images of same-age infants. The lack of preference of 6-month-olds for movies of same-age infants could be related to their ability to process information. Thus, the cue for peer preference may be physical similarity to oneself, rather than the strength of babyish characteristics reflecting a particular developmental stage.
AB - Previous findings suggest that infants prefer other infants from among individuals of various ages. There are two explanations for this: one is that like adults, infants prefer babyish characteristics; the other is that infants prefer individuals who are similar to themselves. We examined whether infants respond differently to same-age infants from among older or younger infants. This might allow the possibility of methodologically separating the two explanations for peer preference in infancy. The results revealed that 9-month-olds showed peer preference when they saw movies of infants. Further experiments showed that 6- and 9-month-olds preferred static images of same-age infants. The lack of preference of 6-month-olds for movies of same-age infants could be related to their ability to process information. Thus, the cue for peer preference may be physical similarity to oneself, rather than the strength of babyish characteristics reflecting a particular developmental stage.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33751270221&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.07.007
DO - 10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.07.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 17138312
AN - SCOPUS:33751270221
VL - 29
SP - 584
EP - 593
JO - Infant Behavior and Development
JF - Infant Behavior and Development
SN - 0163-6383
IS - 4
ER -