Motion-based baby schema in infant gait: inversion effect and the influence of maternal experience.

ABSTRACT: Research on the baby schema has predominantly focused on static facial or bodily proportions, yet Lorenz's original concept also highlighted clumsy infant movements as potential cues eliciting caregiving responses. To investigate whether motion-based infantile features trigger baby schema reactions, three groups of adults (mothers, female students, male students) were presented with point-light displays (PLDs) depicting an infant, a preschooler, and an adult walking, shown side-by-side in both upright and inverted orientations. Participants evaluated each pair for relative cuteness, desire to help, clumsiness, and familiarity. The results indicated that infant gait reliably elicits core baby schema responses across groups, particularly for clumsiness and helping desire. Inverting infant-ba

SUBMITTER: Shimizu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12615801 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature