The subjective and expressive components and patterns of CNS activation that characterize the more primitive sensory pleasures evoked in the food domain, might be extended in the course of early human development to a wider range of pleasure elicitors, including visual stimuli (i.e. the human face) and mastery pleasures. Smiling was used extensively in infancy research as a possible behavioural marker of positive hedonic activation both in studies on sensory pleasures and on the development of positive emotions, such as joy. The five papers in this symposium will consider and discuss these broad issues, which tackle the very early hedonic responses to smell and taste and the emergence of smiling and laughing in early infancy. With regards to hedonics, the papers explore olfactory positive hedonic responses in pre-term newborns (Marlier), positive and negative hedonic responses to food in early infancy (Schwartz) as well as the role of experience in shaping infants' positive responses to novel foods (Maier). With regards to smiling and laughing, the papers explore their very early developmental emergence in humans (Dondi; Kawakami) as well as in nonhuman primates (Kawakami). These findings will be discussed in terms of long-standing theoretical and methodological issues in research on infant facial expressions and on infant emotions. More broadly, the research presented at this symposium will illustrate how much we can learn by precise and objective measures of infant facial expressions.
POSITIVE HEDONIC PROCESSES, SMILING AND LAUGHING IN EARLY INFANCY (Symposium)
DONDI, Marco
2009
Abstract
The subjective and expressive components and patterns of CNS activation that characterize the more primitive sensory pleasures evoked in the food domain, might be extended in the course of early human development to a wider range of pleasure elicitors, including visual stimuli (i.e. the human face) and mastery pleasures. Smiling was used extensively in infancy research as a possible behavioural marker of positive hedonic activation both in studies on sensory pleasures and on the development of positive emotions, such as joy. The five papers in this symposium will consider and discuss these broad issues, which tackle the very early hedonic responses to smell and taste and the emergence of smiling and laughing in early infancy. With regards to hedonics, the papers explore olfactory positive hedonic responses in pre-term newborns (Marlier), positive and negative hedonic responses to food in early infancy (Schwartz) as well as the role of experience in shaping infants' positive responses to novel foods (Maier). With regards to smiling and laughing, the papers explore their very early developmental emergence in humans (Dondi; Kawakami) as well as in nonhuman primates (Kawakami). These findings will be discussed in terms of long-standing theoretical and methodological issues in research on infant facial expressions and on infant emotions. More broadly, the research presented at this symposium will illustrate how much we can learn by precise and objective measures of infant facial expressions.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
