Shapes of Figures Identified as a Baby's Head

Abstract

The difference in shape between a profile view of the head of the infant and of the adult was used to derive a formula which yields a family of shapes, ranging from extremely exaggerated adult heads to extremely exaggerated baby heads. These figures were shown in pairs on a projection screen to 146 undergraduate women and 46 undergraduate men, who were instructed to judge which figure was more babyish. The results show that this dimension of head shape was an effective determinant of such judgments and that it included distorted figures which were more optimal than the accurate representation of the baby's head.