A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge has found that newborn girls tend to focus more on social stimuli, while newborn boys show a stronger interest in objects. The findings suggest that certain differences in attention and behavior between the sexes may be present from birth, indicating a biological basis rather than being solely shaped by upbringing.

The research, led by Yumnah Khan at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, involved testing 130 infants within hours of their birth. Each newborn was presented with two side-by-side videos: one displaying a human face and the other featuring a Newton’s cradle, a desk toy consisting of swinging metal balls that create rhythmic collisions. The study measured how long each baby looked at the human face compared to the object.

Results showed that, although all newborns generally preferred looking at the face, girls spent a significantly larger portion of time fixated on the social stimulus. Conversely, boys allocated more attention to the moving metal balls. These observations align with previous research showing that girls often develop social skills and language earlier than boys.

Khan noted that earlier studies have also identified average differences in brain structure between males and females present at birth, which develop prenatally. This new evidence of sex differences in both attention and behavior adds to the understanding that biological factors, including genetics and hormone levels, may play a role in shaping early developmental trajectories.

The findings contribute to ongoing scientific discussions about the respective influences of biology and environment in childhood development. The study was published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences.