Gender differences: face or object? Newborns already have preferences
Are genes and hormones what influence the behavior of girls and boys - or is it the environment? At least certain differences seem to be innate.
A study by the University of Cambridge has found that newborn baby girls pay more attention to social stimuli, such as faces, than newborn baby boys. The research team, led by Yumnah Khan, showed 130 newborn babies, tested at an average of 33 hours old, a video of a human face and a video of a Newton pendulum. While both male and female babies preferred to look at the face, the female babies spent a larger proportion of their time doing so than the male babies, who spent more time looking at the pendulum.
The study suggests that biological factors, such as hormone levels and genetics, may contribute to these differences, but notes that the findings are based on averages and there is considerable variation within each sex. The researchers plan to investigate whether these early differences contribute to later differences in psychology, brain and behavior.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
