Sex differences in attention are present at birth
13 hours ago
- A Cambridge study tested 130 newborn infants hours after birth and found that, on average, female infants looked longer at faces (social stimuli) while male infants looked longer at objects (non-social stimuli).
- The study suggests that these early sex differences are likely influenced by prenatal biological factors such as hormones and genetics, as they appear before much postnatal experience occurs.
- The research supports the view that sex differences in social skills arise from both nature and nurture, not either alone, with prenatal factors interacting with later experience.
- The study used robust methods, including controlled conditions, reliable eye-gaze monitoring, and blind analysis to avoid bias.
- The findings are group averages and do not apply to every individual; there is variation and overlap between sexes, and future research will explore how these differences relate to later development and conditions like autism.