The effects of height on infants' social responses to unfamiliar persons.

The effects of absolute height of an approaching unfamiliar person and height of the person relative to the infants' viewing height on infants' social responsiveness were investigated. 48 infants, 9--12 months old, were observed as 2 tall (6 feet, 2 inches) and 2 short (5 feet, 6 inches) male strangers approached them. Infants were divided into 3 viewing height groups: low (35 inches from the floor), medium (53 inches), and high (72 inches). Facial expresion, gase aversion, fretting/fussing, and directional movement were measured as the strangers touched the infants. Infants did not respond more negatively to tall versus short strangers. However, they did respond more negatively as a function of viewing-height condition. Infants who were in the low and medium conditions showed more movement away, more gaze aversion, and less concentration than infants in the highest viewing condition. These observations are explained ethologically in terms of an inborn predisposition to respond negatively to towering stimuli in unfamiliar settings. The importance of a multideterminant model of infants' social responses to unfamiliar persons is emphasized.