Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Parents give unattractive children less attention

Researchers show parents give unattractive children less attention
(EurekAlert)
Harrell’s findings are based on an observational study of children and shopping cart safety. With the approval of management at 14 different supermarkets, Harrell’s team of researchers observed parents and their two to five-year-old children for 10 minutes each, noting if the child was buckled into the grocery-cart seat, and how often the child wandered more than 10 feet away. The researchers independently graded each child on a scale of one to 10 on attractiveness.

Findings showed that 1.2 per cent of the least attractive children were buckled in, compared with 13.3 per cent of the most attractive youngsters. The observers also noticed the less attractive children were allowed to wander further away and more often from their parents. In total, there were 426 observations at the 14 supermarkets.

And I thought I was being given my own space. Sniff.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think there is probably a chicken and egg thing going on here though I fear pointing it out will label me a Social Darwinist Fascist. Attractive children are slightly more likely to have attractive parents. Attractive parents may have better innate parenting skills in addition to being more protective of the visibly successful meetings of their genes.

I'll add this to show I attach no philosophical or moral importance to what the genes in question are doing, whatever it may be: Social Darwinism.