Recognition of Moving and Static Faces by Young Infants

This study compared 3- to 4-month-olds' recognition of previously unfamiliar faces learned in a moving or a static condition. Infants in the moving condition showed successful recognition with only 30 s familiarization, even when different images of a face were used in the familiarization and test phase (Experiment 1). In contrast, infants in the static condition showed successful recognition only when the familiarization duration was lengthened to 90 s and when the same image was used between the familiarization and test phase (Experiments 2 and 3). Furthermore, presentation of multiple static images of a face did not yield the same level of performance as the moving condition (Experiment 4). These results suggest that facial motion promotes young infants' recognition of unfamiliar faces.