Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Bjorklund, David F.
Abstract
Children exhibit neotenous, or physically immature, features, such as a large rounded head relative to body size, adult-sized eyes, round cheeks, a small chin, and a short narrow nose. Bowlby (1969) and others (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1989; Hrdy, 2005) propose that, in species whose young depend on care from an adult, these features could enhance offspring survival. Lorenz (1943) argued that adult humans are particularly attracted to these features, and that these characteristics, which he termed Kindchenschema or “baby schema,” trigger a cognitive system that processes and reacts specifically to infantile features for the purpose of enhancing motivation to engage in caretaking behaviors. The goal of the studies proposed here is to examine the behavioral, attentional, and emotional effects of baby schema.
Extent
74 p.
Recommended Citation
Machluf, Karin, "The behavioral, emotional, and attentional effects of human baby schema" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 1318.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/1318
Identifier
FA00004452
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.