babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
For Babies, Size Means Social Dominance
Babies tuned into hierarchy
Babies use size to figure out who’s boss.
A study published last week in the journal Science suggests that even before they learn to walk, babies use size to make judgments about who is more socially dominant — they already believe that bigger is better.
Researchers at Harvard and the University of Copenhagen studied babies ages 8 to 16 months and used video demonstrations to look at how the infants and toddlers determine who is in the more dominant, commanding position.
Here’s the age at which your baby may start sizing you and the rest of the world up: The scientists showed babies different videos of two animated objects — a big and a small block character — bumping into each other. In some, the small block bows deferentially to the big block and backs away, and in others, the big block is the one who cowers and retreats. After this interaction, the video pauses.
When the big block bows and scoots away, 10-month-old babies stared at the screen for almost twice as long. This experiment uses “looking time” — a standard measurement in developmental psychology based on the principle that babies tend to look at something longer if it’s unexpected. So at 10 months, babies may already expect bigger people to be more in charge and confident.
Figuring out the dynamics of social dominance is an important job for babies, and apparently they get to work quickly. Even before their first birthdays, they’re getting the hang of hierarchy and using size to help them sort it out.
Image: flickr
Go Back To Strollerderby
2 Comments
wendi commented on Oct 22 11 at 9:09 pmhm.. intersting.. my daughter is taller than alot of kids her age. she is 15 mths and very social. even at the park and she is in her swing she just stares at the kid next to her in the swing. she is so interested in kids that are her size mainly. she reaches out to touch them and talks to everyone.
3 commented on Apr 24 12 at 8:52 pmno one cares about your super special kid Wendi
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
2