1
|
Plank IS, Hindi Attar C, Kunas SL, Dziobek I, Bermpohl F. Motherhood and theory of mind: increased activation in the posterior cingulate cortex and insulae. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:470-481. [PMID: 34592763 PMCID: PMC9071419 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite growing evidence on effects of parenthood on social understanding, little is known about the influence of parenthood on theory of mind (ToM), the capacity to infer mental and affective states of others. It is also unclear whether any possible effects of parenthood on ToM would generalise to inferring states of adults or are specific to children. We investigated neural activation in mothers and women without children while they predicted action intentions from child and adult faces. Region-of-interest analyses showed stronger activation in mothers in the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus (ToM-related areas) and insulae (emotion-related areas). Whole-brain analyses revealed that mothers compared to non-mothers more strongly activated areas including the left angular gyrus and the ventral prefrontal cortex but less strongly activated the right supramarginal gyrus and the dorsal prefrontal cortex. These differences were not specific to child stimuli but occurred in response to both adult and child stimuli and might indicate that mothers and non-mothers employ different strategies to infer action intentions from affective faces. Whether these general differences in affective ToM between mothers and non-mothers are due to biological or experience-related changes should be subject of further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sophia Plank
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Catherine Hindi Attar
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Stefanie Lydia Kunas
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Felix Bermpohl
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yao L, Dai Q, Wu Q, Liu Y, Yu Y, Guo T, Zhou M, Yang J, Takahashi S, Ejima Y, Wu J. Eye Size Affects Cuteness in Different Facial Expressions and Ages. Front Psychol 2022; 12:674456. [PMID: 35087437 PMCID: PMC8786738 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Researchers have suggested that infants exhibiting baby schema are considered cute. These similar studies have mainly focused on changes in overall baby schema facial features. However, whether a change in only eye size affects the perception of cuteness across different facial expressions and ages has not been explicitly evaluated until now. In the present study, a paired comparison method and 7-point scale were used to investigate the effects of eye size on perceived cuteness across facial expressions (positive, neutral, and negative) and ages (adults and infants). The results show that stimuli with large eyes were perceived to be cuter than both unmanipulated eyes and small eyes across all facial expressions and age groups. This suggests not only that the effect of baby schema on cuteness is based on changes in a set of features but also that eye size as an individual feature can affect the perception of cuteness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lichang Yao
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Qi Dai
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Qiong Wu
- School of Education, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Education, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Yiyang Yu
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Ting Guo
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Mengni Zhou
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Jiajia Yang
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Satoshi Takahashi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Yoshimichi Ejima
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Jinglong Wu
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.,Research Center for Medical Artificial Intelligence, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, China.,School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Saxton TK, Pollet TV, Panagakis J, Round EK, Brown SE, Lobmaier JS. Children aged 7–9 prefer cuteness in baby faces, and femininity in women's faces. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Emily K. Round
- Psychology Department Northumbria University Newcastle UK
| | | | - Janek S. Lobmaier
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology Institute of Psychology University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Luo L, Zhang Q, Wang J, Lin Q, Zhao B, Xu M, Langley C, Li H, Gao S. The baby schema effect in adolescence and its difference from that in adulthood. J Exp Child Psychol 2020; 198:104908. [PMID: 32600740 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The baby schema effect induced by particular features of baby faces acts as an innate releasing mechanism that evokes positive emotions and instinctual behavioral responses. Our prior research in adults has revealed that this effect initially found in infancy extends into child faces. Adolescence is an important period involving development in various aspects of cognition, including face perception. Here, we investigated whether the extended baby schema effect we previously found in adult observers develops earlier-in adolescence-and how different it appears in adolescents as compared with in adults. In the current study, 76 adolescents and 77 adults were asked to judge the likeability of 148 neutral faces of infants and children (0.08-6.5 years of age) on 7-point scales. Results showed that both adolescents and adults perceived the faces of both infants and children younger than 4.6 years as more likeable relative to those of older children, indicating that the baby schema effect previously found in adulthood also occurs in adolescence. However, adolescents rated lower than adults toward the infant and child faces across all face ages, suggesting that this effect might be under development in adolescence. Overall, our findings provide new evidence for the development of face perception in adolescence and demonstrate age-related changes in innate releasing mechanisms in our protective and caretaking responses toward infants and children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lizhu Luo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, Chengdu 610091, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaojian Wang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiyuan Lin
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Bingmei Zhao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Xu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China
| | - Christelle Langley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Hong Li
- Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shan Gao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China; School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang L, Fan H, Wang S, Li H. The Effect of Emotional Arousal on Inhibition of Return Among Youth With Depressive Tendency. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1487. [PMID: 31312156 PMCID: PMC6614492 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The occurrence and development of depressive symptoms were thought to be closely related to excessive attention to negative information. However, the evidences among researchers were inconsistent on whether negative emotional information could induce attention bias in depressed individuals. One possible hypothesis is that the arousal level of stimuli regulates the attention bias of depressed individuals to negative emotional stimuli. In the current study, we directly assessed the attentional inhibition of depression-tendency individuals to different arousal levels of negative emotional faces. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to distinguish the depression-tendency group from the health group. Thirty-three participants in each group completed a simpler cue-target task that comprised four kinds of experimental conditions, in which group was an inter-subject variable, while cue validity, arousal level, and stimulus onset asynchrony were internal variables. By subtracting the reaction time under the valid cue from the reaction time under the invalid cue, we got the magnitudes of inhibition of return (IOR), which reflected the effective suppression of previously noticed irrelevant information. We found that, in health group, the IOR effect was smaller at high arousal level than at low arousal level. This means that even in the normal population, higher arousal level of negative emotional information could weaken the individual's attention inhibition ability. While in the depression-tendency group, the IOR effect only appeared at low arousal level condition, but in the high cue condition it showed the reversal pattern, that was, the cue effect. These results indicated for the first time that the attention bias of depressive individuals to negative emotional stimuli was influenced by the arousal level of stimuli, and the negative stimuli with high arousal level were more difficult to suppress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liwei Zhang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China.,School of Basic Medical Sciences, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Huiyong Fan
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China.,College of Educational Science, Bohai University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Suyan Wang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Hong Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China.,College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chen BB. Chinese Mothers’ Sibling Status, Perceived Supportive Coparenting, and their Children’s Sibling Relationships. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES 2019; 28:684-692. [DOI: 10.1007/s10826-018-01322-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
|
7
|
Too sweet to eat: Exploring the effects of cuteness on meat consumption. Appetite 2018; 120:181-195. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.08.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
8
|
Imprinting and flexibility in human face cognition. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33545. [PMID: 27680495 PMCID: PMC5062761 DOI: 10.1038/srep33545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Faces are an important cue to multiple physiological and psychological traits. Human preferences for exaggerated sex typicality (masculinity or femininity) in faces depend on multiple factors and show high inter-subject variability. To gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying facial femininity preferences in men, we tested the interactive effect of family structure (birth order, sibling sex-ratio and number of siblings) and parenthood status on these preferences. Based on a group of 1304 heterosexual men, we have found that preference for feminine faces was not only influenced by sibling age and sex, but also that fatherhood modulated this preference. Men with sisters had a weaker preference for femininity than men with brothers, highlighting a possible effect of a negative imprinting-like mechanism. What is more, fatherhood increased strongly the preference for facial femininity. Finally, for fathers with younger sisters only, the more the age difference increased between them, the more femininity preference increased. Overall our findings bring new insight into how early-acquired experience at the individual level may determine face preference in adulthood, and what is more, how these preferences are flexible and potentially dependent on parenthood status in adult men.
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
Luo L, Ma X, Zheng X, Zhao W, Xu L, Becker B, Kendrick KM. Neural systems and hormones mediating attraction to infant and child faces. Front Psychol 2015; 6:970. [PMID: 26236256 PMCID: PMC4505392 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
We find infant faces highly attractive as a result of specific features which Konrad Lorenz termed “Kindchenschema” or “baby schema,” and this is considered to be an important adaptive trait for promoting protective and caregiving behaviors in adults, thereby increasing the chances of infant survival. This review first examines the behavioral support for this effect and physical and behavioral factors which can influence it. It then provides details of the increasing number of neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies investigating the neural circuitry underlying this baby schema effect in parents and non-parents of both sexes. Next it considers potential hormonal contributions to the baby schema effect in both sexes and the neural effects associated with reduced responses to infant cues in post-partum depression, anxiety and drug taking. Overall the findings reviewed reveal a very extensive neural circuitry involved in our perception of cuteness in infant faces, with enhanced activation compared to adult faces being found in brain regions involved in face perception, attention, emotion, empathy, memory, reward and attachment, theory of mind and also control of motor responses. Both mothers and fathers also show evidence for enhanced responses in these same neural systems when viewing their own as opposed to another child. Furthermore, responses to infant cues in many of these neural systems are reduced in mothers with post-partum depression or anxiety or have taken addictive drugs throughout pregnancy. In general reproductively active women tend to rate infant faces as cuter than men, which may reflect both heightened attention to relevant cues and a stronger activation in their brain reward circuitry. Perception of infant cuteness may also be influenced by reproductive hormones with the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin being most strongly associated to date with increased attention and attraction to infant cues in both sexes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lizhu Luo
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaole Ma
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zheng
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| | - Weihua Zhao
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu, China
| |
Collapse
|