Where and how infants look: The development of scan paths and fixations in face perception

It is well known that infants prefer faces but relatively little is known about how infants look at face. The present work examined the development of face perception by using the scan paths. Infants (aged 6-13.5 months) and adults were presented with images of upright and inverted faces, and looking times and scan paths were compared. Similarity between participants' scan paths demonstrated that infants collect facial information more efficiently from upright faces than from inverted faces, and this ability gradually develops with age. Analyses of looking times also revealed that preferences for upright faces were gradually replaced by preferences for inverted faces by approximately 10 months of age. The results indicate that the processing of configural information gradually develops throughout infancy. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.