Preferential looking to eyes versus mouth in early infancy: heritability and link to concurrent and later development.

ABSTRACT:

Background

From birth, infants orient preferentially to faces, and when looking at the face, they attend primarily to eyes and mouth. These areas convey different types of information, and earlier research suggests that genetic factors influence the preference for one or the other in young children.

Methods

In a sample of 535 5-month-old infant twins, we assessed eye (relative to mouth) preference in early infancy, i.e., before neural systems for social communication and language are fully developed. We investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the preference for looking at eyes, and the association with concurrent traits and follow-up measures.

Results

Eye preference was independent from all other concurrent traits measured, and had a mode

SUBMITTER: Viktorsson C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10100106 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature