Langlois et al. - Infant Preference for Attractive Faces

This studies examines whether very young children are able to differentiate between faces which are judged by adults to be 'attractive' or 'unattractive'. The nurture position on attractiveness is that it is learned and children take on the cultural standards of beauty from their social environment. 

 

However, evidence that very young children, with little social exposure, prefer attractive faces provides eveidence that there maybe an innate tendency to prefer faces which conform to a universal standard of beauty.  This would support the nature position.

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