2017
Cairn
Claire Holvoet et al., « Preference for prosocial behaviors in 6-month-old infants », Enfance, ID : 10670/1.0490ba...
There is growing evidence that infants display preferences for prosocial agents. However, recent studies have reported conflicting results about the impact of appearance on these preferences. The current study investigated the relative influence of face/race on 6-month-old infants’ preference for prosocial behavior. In a short research study featuring animated cartoons where agents interacted in a ball game, we used eye-tracking methodology to assess infants’ preferences 1. for prosocial behavior, 2. for other-race faces, and 3. when the two aspects were pitted against one another. The two control conditions revealed preferences for prosocial agents and for other-race faces. No preference could be found at group level in the third condition, where these two aspects competed with each other. However, a profile analysis revealed that when this situation was a source of conflict in terms of the preferences identified in the control conditions, infants show a preference for the other-race antisocial agent, thereby prioritizing faces over behavior.