A new study by scientists at the University of Cambridge has found that baby boys and girls can show different patterns of attention within hours of birth, offering fresh insight into the long-running debate over nature and nurture.
The study involved 130 newborns who were shown two videos side by side — one featuring a moving human face and another showing a Newton’s cradle, a mechanical object with swinging metal balls.
Babies showed a preference for faces
Researchers found that newborns of both sexes generally spent more time looking at the human face than the moving object. However, female infants spent a greater proportion of their viewing time looking at the social stimulus, while male infants spent relatively more time looking at the non-social object.
The babies were tested only hours after birth, meaning they had very limited exposure to social experiences that could shape their behaviour.
Biology may play a role
The researchers said the findings suggest that prenatal factors, including genetics and differences in hormone exposure during pregnancy, may contribute to these average differences.
However, the scientists stressed that the findings should not be interpreted as fixed characteristics of all boys or all girls. There was substantial variation within both groups and considerable overlap between them.
Early differences do not determine development
The researchers said biological factors interact with experiences after birth, meaning early attention patterns do not determine how a child will eventually learn or develop.
The study, published in Biology of Sex Differences, is part of ongoing research into early brain and behavioural development. The Cambridge team is also following the children to investigate whether these early differences are associated with later developmental characteristics.