University of Illinois study finds infants expect caregivers to comfort crying

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have found that infants hold expectations regarding caregiving behavior long before they can speak. A study involving more than 75 infants tested at 6, 9, and 12 months revealed that babies show increased surprise when a caregiver ignores a crying baby compared to when the caregiver provides comfort.

Using the “violation of expectations” paradigm, researchers measured looking times to determine surprise levels. The results indicated that infants consistently registered more surprise at “ignore events,” suggesting an inherent expectation for soothing behavior. Additionally, the study identified an association between maternal mental health and the specific expectations infants held regarding comforting responses.