Creepy baby-faced robot reveals insights into human behavior

 

A study published in the journal PLOSONE found that babies and moms smiled at each other for different reasons.

 

The researchers found that while moms smiled at their babies to maximize the time spent smiling at one another, by four months old babies were smiling to maximize mom-only smiling time. In the latter part of the study, they programmed a nightmare-inducing baby-faced robot with the smiling strategy as the infants observed. The results confirmed previous observations.

 

“The results indicate that by four months of age infants interact with their mothers in a goal-oriented manner, utilizing a sophisticated understanding of timing in social interactions,” the study said.

 

The researchers noted that the timing of the smiles “demonstrated mastery of the statistics of social interaction” but also pointed out that that didn’t mean the babies or the moms knew what they were doing.

 

They speculate that babies may stop smiling once their mom does because getting their mom to smile is the end goal. Once she does, the baby doesn’t need to smile anymore. Researchers also said that this demonstrates that babies are “independent interacting agent(s)” that have goals that differ from their parents. — Bea Montenegro/TJD, GMA News