Age-Related Changes in Body Proportions, Body Size, and Perceived

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Two experiments investigated the hypothesis that age-related changes in physical appearance can alter perceived cuteness. In both experiments 67 undergraduates viewed line drawings displaying growth-produced changes in body proportions or size. In Exp. 1, they were required to select the cuter of humans depicted in 20 pairs of drawings varying in either body proportions or body size. Analysis indicated that perceived cuteness is not a monotonic function of age-related changes in body proportions or size. In Exp. 2, the subjects were asked to rank-order from least to most cute, five drawings depicting the changes in body proportions during growth. The resultant rankings indicated that perceived cuteness, as determined by body proportions, is greater for individuals from age 2 to 12 yr. than for newborns or adults. These and other observations are discussed in terms of an ethological view of the perception of cuteness.