ANIMAL ANALOGIES IN FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF FACES.

Analogies between humans and animals based on facial resemblance have a long history. We report evidence for reverse anthropomorphism and the extension of facial stereotypes to lions, foxes, and dogs. In the stereotype extension, more positive traits were attributed to animals judged more attractive than con-specifics; more childlike traits were attributed to those judged more babyfaced. In the reverse anthropomorphism, human faces with more resemblance to lions, ascertained by connectionist modeling of facial metrics, were judged more dominant, cold, and shrewd, controlling attractiveness, babyfaceness, and sex. Faces with more resemblance to Labradors were judged warmer and less shrewd. Resemblance to foxes did not predict impressions. Results for lions and dogs were consistent with trait impressions of these animals and support the species overgeneralization hypothesis that evolutionarily adaptive reactions to particular animals are overgeneralized, with people perceived to have traits associated with animals their faces resemble. Other possible explanations are discussed.

Neural activation to babyfaced men matches activation to babies.

Behavioral data supports the commonsense view that babies elicit different responses than adults do. Behavioral research also has supported the babyface overgeneralization hypothesis that the adaptive value of responding appropriately to babies produces a tendency for these responses to be overgeneralized to adults whose facial structure resembles babies. Here we show a neural substrate for responses to babies and babyface overgeneralization in the amygdala and the fusiform face area (FFA). Both regions showed greater percentage BOLD signal change compared with fixation when viewing faces of babies or babyfaced men than maturefaced men. Viewing the first two categories also yielded greater effective connectivity between the two regions. Facial qualities previously shown to elicit strong neural activation could not account for the effects. Babyfaced men were distinguished only by their resemblance to babies. The preparedness to respond to infantile facial qualities generalizes to babyfaced men in perceivers' neural responses just as it does in their behavioral reactions.