Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How do babies know their friends and foes?

  • Published:
Human Nature Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The study of infant social cognition is the study of how human infants acquire information about people. By examining infants’ sensory abilities and the stimulus characteristics of people, research can determine what information is available to infants from their social world. We can then consider what social environments are appropriate for infants of different ages. This paper examines the sociocognitive competencies of human infants during the first 6 months of their lives and asks how these competencies are functional in the daily social ecology of the human infant. Select examples of research with other species are used to illustrate how the adaptive significance of sociocognitive abilities could be more fruitfully explored in studies of human infancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alley, T. R. 1981 Head Shape and the Perception of Cuteness.Developmental Psychology, 17:650–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banks, M. S., and A. Ginsburg 1985 Early Visual Preferences: A Review and a New Theoretical Treatment. InAdvances in Child Development and Behavior, H. W. Reese, ed. Pp. 207–246. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks, M. S., and P. Salapatek 1981 Infant Pattern Vision: A New Approach Based on the Contrast Sensitivity Function.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 31:1–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barden, C., M. Ford, G. Jensen, M. Rogers-Salyer, and K. Salyer 1989 Effects of Craniofacial Deformity in Infancy on the Quality of Mother-Infant Interactions.Child Development 60:819–824.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrera, M., and D. Maurer 1981 The Perception of Facial Expressions by the Three-Month-Old.Child Development 52:203–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bornstein, M., K. Ferdinandsen, and C. Gross 1981 Perception of Symmetry in Infancy.Developmental Psychology 17:82–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bower, T., and J. Wishart 1979 Towards a Unitary Theory of Development. InOrigins of the Infant’s Social Responsiveness, E. Thoman, ed. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. 1969Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campos, R. 1989 Soothing Pain-elicited Distress in Infants with Swaddling and Pacifiers.Child Development 60:781–792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caron, R., A. Caron, and R. Myers 1985 Do Infants See Emotional Expressions in Static Faces?Child Development 56:1552–1560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casler, L. 1961Maternal Deprivation: A Critical Review of the Literature. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 26(2).

  • Cernoch, J., and R. Porter 1985 Recognition of Maternal Axillary Odors by Infants.Child Development 56:1593–1598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Courchesne, E., L. Ganz, and A. Norcia 1981 Event-related Brain Potentials to Human Faces in Infants.Child Development 52:804–811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dannemiller, J., and B. Stephens 1988 A Critical Test of Infant Pattern Preference Models.Child Development 59:210–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eimas, P., E. Siqueland, P. Jusczyk, and J. Vigorito. 1971 Speech Perception in Infants.Science 171:303–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, J. 1976 Infants’ Recognition of Invariant Features of Faces.Child Development 47:627–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Field, T. 1985 Neonatal Perception of People: Maturational and Individual Differences. InSocial Perception in Infants, T. Field and N. Fox, eds. Pp 31–52. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, T., R. Woodson, D. Cohen, R. Greenberg, R. Garcia, and K. Collins 1983 Discrimination and Imitation of Facial Expressions by Term and Preterm Neonates.Infant Behavior and Development 6:485–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujita, K. 1987 Species Recognition by Five Macaque Monkeys.Primates 28:353–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, E., C. Owsley, and J. Johnston 1978 Perception of Invariants by Five-Month-Old Infants: Differentiation of Two Types of Motion.Developmental Psychology 14:407–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gustafson, G., and J. Green 1989 On the Importance of Fundamental Frequency and Other Acoustic Features in Cry Perception and Infant Development.Child Development 60:772–780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hainline, L. 1978 Developmental Changes in Visual Scanning of Face and Non-Face Patterns by Infants.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 25:90–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haith, M. 1990 Progress in the Understanding of Sensory and Perceptual Processes in Early Infancy.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 36:1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haith, M., T. Bergman, and M. Moore 1977 Eye Contact and Face Scanning in Early Infancy.Science 198:853–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hepper, P. 1986 Kin Recognition: Functions and Mechanisms, A Review.Biological Review 61:63–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horowitz, F., and J. Colombo, eds. 1990 Infancy Research: A Summative Evaluation and a Look to the Future.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (Special Issue) 36(1):1–178.

  • Kagan, J. 1966 Infants’ Differential Reactions to Familiar and Distorted Faces.Child Development 37:519–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kendrick, K. 1990 Through a Sheep’s Eye.New Scientist (May 12):62–65.

  • Klaus, M., and J. Kennell 1976Maternal-Infant Bonding. St Louis: Mosby.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleiner, K., and M. Banks 1987 Stimulus Energy Does Not Account for 2-Month-Olds’ Face Preferences.Journal of Experimental Psychology 13:594–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuchuk, A., M. Vibbert, and M. Bornstein 1986 The Perception of Smiling and Its Experiential Correlates in Three-Month-Old Infants.Child Development 57:1054–1061.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M., and C.-P. Hwang 1982 Maternal Attachment and Mother-Neonate Bonding: A Critical Review. InAdvances in Developmental Psychology, vol. 2, M. Lamb and A. Brown, eds. Pp. 1–39. Hillsdale, New Jersey: L. Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, J., and B. Hamburg 1986 The Biosocial Dimensions of School-Age Pregnancy and Parenthood: An Introduction. InSchool-Age Pregnancy and Parenthood: Biosocial Dimensions, J. Lancaster and B. Hamburg, eds. Pp. 3–16. Hawthorne, New York: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langlois, J., and L. Roggman 1990 Attractive Faces Are Only Average.Psychological Science 1:115–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langlois, J., L. Roggman, R. Casey, J. Ritter, L. Rieser-Danner, and V. Jenkins 1987 Infant Preferences for Attractive Faces: Rudiments of a Stereotype?Developmental Psychology 23:363–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maier, R., D. Holmes, F. Slaymaker, and J. Reich 1984 The Perceived Attractiveness of Preterm Infants.Infant Behavior and Development 7:403–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makin, J., and R. Porter 1989 Attractiveness of Lactating Females’ Breast Odors to Neonates.Child Development 60:803–810.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maurer, D. 1985 Infants’ Perception of Facedness. InSocial Perception in Infants, T. Field and N. Fox, eds. Pp. 73–100. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maurer, D., and P. Salapatek 1976 Developmental Changes in the Scanning of Faces by Young Infants.Child Development 47:523–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melhuish, E. 1982 Visual Attention to Mother’s and Stranger’s Faces and Facial Contrast in 1-Month-Old Infants.Developmental Psychology 18:229–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. 1985 The Perception and Recognition of Facial Expressions in Infancy. InSocial Perception in Infants, T. Field and N. Fox, eds. Pp. 101–125. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • 1987 The Recognition of Facial Expressions in the First Two Years of Life: Mechanisms of Development.Child Development 58:889–909.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C., and F. Horowitz 1983 The Perception of Facial Expressions and Stimulus Motion by 2- and 5-Month Infants Using Holographic Stimuli.Child Development 54:868–877.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, G. 1981 The Recognition of Specific Persons. InInfant Social Cognition, M. Lamb and L. Sherrod, eds. Pp. 37–59. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osofsky, J., ed. 1987Handbook of Infant Development. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oster, H. 1981 “Recognition” of Emotional Expression in Infancy? InInfant Social Cognition, M. Lamb and L. Sherrod, eds. Pp. 85–126. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. 1952The Origins of Intelligence in Children. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sai, F., and W. Bushnell 1988 The Perception of Faces in Different Poses by 1-Month-Olds.British Journal of Developmental Psychology 6:35–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salapatek, P., A. Bechtold, and G. Bushnell 1976 Infant Visual Acuity as a Function of Viewing Distance.Child Development 47:860–863.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrod, L. 1979 Social Cognition in Infants: Attention to the Human Face.Infant Behavior and Development 2:279–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 1981 Issues in Cognitive-Perceptual Development: The Special Case of Social Stimuli. InInfant Social Cognition, M. Lamb and L. Sherrod, eds. Pp. 11–36. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • 1990 Studying Infant Lives: Competency, Context, and Variability. InThe Past as Prologue in Developmental Psychology: Essays in Honor of William Kessen, F. Kessel, M. Bornstein, and A. Sameroff, eds. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum, in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrod, L., and M. Lamb 1981 Infant Social Cognition: An Introduction. InInfant Social Cognition, M. Lamb and L. Sherrod, eds. Pp. 1–10. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spelke, E., and A. Cortelyou 1981 Perceptual Aspects of Social Knowing: Looking and Listening in Infancy. InInfant Social Cognition, M. Lamb and L. Sherrod, eds. Pp. 61–84. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spelke, E., and C. Owsley 1979 Intermodal Exploration and Knowledge in Infancy.Infant Behavior and Development 2:13–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, D. 1985The Internpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stucki, M., R. Kaufmann-Hayoz, and F. Kaufmann 1987 Infants’ Recognition of a Face Revealed Through Motion: Contribution of Internal Facial Movement and Head Movement.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 44:80–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, H. 1973 Unfolding the Baby’s Mind: The Infants’ Selection of Visual Stimuli.Psychological Review 80:468–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tronick, E. 1989 Emotions and Emotional Communication in Infants.American Psychologist 44:112–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turnure, C. 1971 Response to Voice of Mother and Stranger by Babies in the First Year.Developmental Psychology 2:1079–1088.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyrrell, D., J. Anderson, M. Chubb, and A. Bradbury 1987 Infant Recognition of the Correspondence Between Photographs and Caricatures of Human Faces.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society 25:41–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter-Andrews, A. 1986 Intermodal Perception of Expressive Behaviors: Relation of Eye and Voice?Developmental Psychology 22:373–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, J. 1987 Kin Recognition in Non-Human Primates. InKin Recognition in Animals, D. Fletcher and C. Michener, eds. Pp. 359–393. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, P. 1987The Development of Behavioral States and the Expression of Emotions in Early Infancy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zucker, K. 1985 The Infant’s Construction of His Parents in the First Six Months of Life. InSocial Perception in Infants, T. Field and N. Fox, eds. Pp. 127–156. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. William T. Grant Foundation, 515 Madison Avenue, 10022-5403, New York, NY

    Lonnie R. Sherrod

Authors
  1. Lonnie R. Sherrod
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Lonnie R. Sherrod is Vice President for Program at the William T. Grant Foundation. Formerly, he was Assistant Dean at the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research and before that, Staff Associate at the Social Science Research Council. He received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Yale University in 1978, an M.A. in Biology from the University of Rochester in 1974; and a B.A. in Zoology and Psychology from Duke University in 1972. He has taught at New York University and the New School and has published numerous articles and edited volumes on infant social cognition, on adolescence, and on child development from a life-span and biosocial perspective. Examples includeInfant Social Cognition (1981), edited with Michael Lamb;The Life Course and Human Development: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (1986), edited with Aage B. Sorensen and Franz E. Weinert; and “Changes in Children’s Social Lives and the Development of Social Understanding” authored with Judith Dunn (1988), in E.M. Hetherington, M. Perlmutter, and R. Lerner (eds).,Child Development in Life-Span Perspective.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sherrod, L.R. How do babies know their friends and foes?. Human Nature 1, 331–353 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02734050

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02734050

Key words

Search

Navigation