Every rose has its thorn: Infants' responses to pointed shapes in naturalistic contexts |
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Authors: | Aleksandra Włodarczyk Claudia Elsner Alexandra Schmitterer Annie E Wertz |
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Institution: | 1. Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Research Group Naturalistic Social Cognition, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany;2. German Institute for International Educational Research, Schloßstraße 29, 60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
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Abstract: | Plants produce dangerous chemical and physical defenses that have shaped the physiology and behavior of the herbivorous predators that feed on them. Here we explore the impact that these plant defenses may have had on humans by testing infants' responses to plants with and without sharp-looking thorns. To do this, we presented 8- to 18-month-olds with plants and control stimuli and measured their initial reaching behavior and subsequent object exploration behavior. Half of the stimuli had sharp-looking thorns or pointed parts while the other half did not. We found that infants exhibited both an initial reluctance to touch and minimized subsequent physical contact with plants compared to other object types. Further, infants treated all plants as potentially dangerous, whether or not they possessed sharp-looking thorns. These results reveal novel dimensions of a behavioral avoidance strategy in infancy that would mitigate potential harm from plants. |
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Keywords: | Threat Behavioral avoidance Infancy Cognitive development |
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