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Is excessive infant crying an honest signal of vigor, one extreme of a continuum, or a strategy to manipulate parents?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2005

Edward H. Hagen
Edward H. Hagen*
Affiliation:
Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University, 10115Berlin, Germanyhttp://itb.biologie.hu-berlin.de/~hagen
*
[email protected]
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Abstract:

An evolutionary account of excessive crying in young infants – colic – has been elusive. A study of mothers with new infants suggests that more crying is associated with more negative emotions towards the infant, and perceptions of poorer infant health. These results undermine the hypothesis that excessive crying is an honest signal of vigor.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , August 2004 , pp. 463 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

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