The Kindchenschema goes back to the Austrian behavioral scientist Konrad Lorenz. He studied the gestalt of young and older animals of the same species and found out that animals react to very specific key stimuli such as the Kindchenschema.
We humans also respond to predetermined patterns in nature
It is essential for a baby to have a caregiver for survival, since its need for help in the first years of life makes it dependent on adult care. Certain characteristics of the newborn trigger adults to love and care for the baby – that is, the important protective instinct – as well as caring behavior toward the baby. We all feel that way: Who doesn’t like to look into a stroller and say, Oh, that’s cute.
Characteristics of the infant schema
The infant schema is a combination of features that acts as a trigger for the brood care instinct in humans. It is primarily the body proportions that elicit certain instinctive behaviors. The infantile appearance includes:
- Large eyes
- A head large in relation to the rest of the body
- A small body shape and short thick extremities
- A high bulging forehead
- Chubby cheeks and paws.
The scheme acts not only on infants and toddlers, also on animals or objects that correspond to the child scheme. Advertising has therefore taken advantage of this scheme. Thus, in all the children’s rooms of the world are found stuffed animals, cartoon and comic characters with these design features.
Characteristic behaviors
In addition to physical characteristics, infants acquire action skills such as social smiling in the first few months of life to actively build relationships with others. This ensures emotional attachment toward parents, known as attachment.
