The Mechanism Of Baby Schema’s Effectiveness

Baby schema (or Kindchenschema), referring to a kind of people’s mental representation about a set of infant-like physical features, such as large head, big eyes and round face, can induce a positive emotion and care-giving behaviors towards the infant. Such a function plays an important role in improving the survival of individuals and satisfying the need to reproduce. Numbers of researches have proved the existence of baby schema and its sex differences that females were more sensitive than males. Also, they have found its importance in the relationship between parents and infants, especially those experiments on neuro mechanisms of baby schema, using more mother-subjects, which in turn improved researches on maternal love. The present study was conducted on the basis of previous studies, which mainly focused on the mechanism of baby schema’s effectiveness. From the perspective of object and subject of baby schema, the study conducted three experiments to know baby schema’s effectiveness.Experiment1was based on face age.60undergraduate students (30males) rated188faces of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, children and adults on likeability, attractiveness, typicality as well as perceived age. The former three variables were rated on7-point Likert scale, while the latter one should be accurate to the month of age. The result showed that subjects’ likeability and attractiveness ratings were positively correlated to face age, while typicality rating was negatively correlated. Also, the ratings on child faces were not significantly different from adult faces. So we can infer that the effectiveness of baby schema decreased with the increase of face age. and may disappear at the age of around four and a half years.Experiment2was conducted on the basis of Experiment1with fMR1technology. 26undergraduates (13males) rated likeability of infant faces, toddler faces, preschooler faces, child faces and adult faces on4-point Likert scale, and received brain scan at the same time. The result showed that both of the precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus functioned oppositely in the right and left hemisphere in response to faces. The mean VOI values of both gyrus in the left hemisphere decreased with the increase of face age, while those in the right hemisphere increased. So we infer that the two brain regions have different functions on face processing. Additionally, the result of post hoc analysis on precentral and postcentral gyrus of right hemisphere was almost the same as the result of Experiment1, which showed the trend of baby schema.Experiment3was based on the early experience of with or without siblings.55undergraduates (26males;23subjects with siblings) rated likeability on7-point Likert scale as well as perceived age on infant faces, toddler faces, younger child faces, and older child faces. The result showed that the age difference between subjects and their siblings was correlated with face likeability, and subjects with siblings estimated lower on face age than those without siblings. So we can infer that early experience with siblings can make influence on baby schema. Subjects with siblings can have stronger response of baby schema, especially those have siblings at similar age.The present study, through three experiments, proved that baby schema can be influenced by face age and subjects’early experience. The following studies can be conducted to explore other factors that influence baby schema, especially around parents’reactions. We can further study baby schema from the perspective of evolution and development, to make more contribution to the development of human beings.