Newborn girls’ early gaze bias hints at biology of social interest

Researchers tracked 130 newborns (8 hours to 3 days old) using eye-tracking as they watched side-by-side videos of a woman's face and a toy. Both sexes looked more at the face, but girls spent a larger share of time on the face than boys, suggesting birth-present social attention differences with a likely biological basis (hormonal) rather than culture. The study, conducted at Cambridge and involving 130 infants, acknowledges individual variation and notes implications for later development and susceptibility to neurodevelopmental conditions, with follow-up planned.