Faceness or complexity: Evidence from newborn visual tracking of facelike stimuli

The hypothesis that facelike stimuli represent a special class to the newborn was examined in four studies using a tread turning procedure that measured both newborns' eye and head tracking of moving stimuli. In two studies, 33 newborns (< 2 days) were shown stimuli containing the same facial features in different spatial arrangements and a luminance-matched blank control. In two other studies, 26 newborns (< 2 day;) were shown stimuli containing a facelike stimulus and selected elements of the face: Two eyes, a single eye, or a mouth. Both grouped and individual data showed that infants tracked moving stimuli containing facelike features and stimuli containing two eyes farther than a blank; newborns tracked the patterned stimuli equally far. When the stimulus contained a linear arrangement of Facial features, one eye, or one mouth, it was tracked less far. Most newborns showed no preference for either of two facelike stimuli and they turned their heads farther to a face compared to two eyes. The results support a linear systems model of infant visual attention/preference.