TY - JOUR
T1 - The human and animal baby schema effect
T2 - Correlates of individual differences
AU - Lehmann, V.
AU - Huis In 't Veld, E.M.J.
AU - Vingerhoets, A.J.J.M.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - We investigated the animal and human baby schema effect (BSE) in relation to gender, parental status, and individual features. In three, independent online surveys, conducted during three consecutive years, (Ntotal = 1389), ratings of photographs of human and animal infants as well as of adults, sociodemographic variables (age, gender, parental status) and personality attributes (empathy, attachment, interpersonal closeness, narcissism, and need to belong) were assessed. We demonstrated that humans are sensitive to the baby schemata of both humans and animals and that both are weakly positively correlated. BSE is positively associated with female gender and (affective) empathy. Higher interpersonal closeness and need to belong were additionally connected specifically to the human BSE. In contrast, narcissism and insecure attachment were not related to the BSE, suggesting a robustness of this phenomenon to possible negative influences of these two personality attributes.
AB - We investigated the animal and human baby schema effect (BSE) in relation to gender, parental status, and individual features. In three, independent online surveys, conducted during three consecutive years, (Ntotal = 1389), ratings of photographs of human and animal infants as well as of adults, sociodemographic variables (age, gender, parental status) and personality attributes (empathy, attachment, interpersonal closeness, narcissism, and need to belong) were assessed. We demonstrated that humans are sensitive to the baby schemata of both humans and animals and that both are weakly positively correlated. BSE is positively associated with female gender and (affective) empathy. Higher interpersonal closeness and need to belong were additionally connected specifically to the human BSE. In contrast, narcissism and insecure attachment were not related to the BSE, suggesting a robustness of this phenomenon to possible negative influences of these two personality attributes.
U2 - 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.01.001
DO - 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.01.001
M3 - Article
SN - 0376-6357
VL - 94
SP - 99
EP - 108
JO - Behavioural Processes
JF - Behavioural Processes
ER -