Can children recognize sick faces? New study is first step in teaching children to determine whether interaction is safe medicalxpress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medicalxpress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Researchers from the University of Miami, Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen, Duke University and James Madison University addressed this question by collecting photos of people’s faces when they were sick with a short-term, contagious illness, such as COVID-19, and when they were feeling healthy (fully recovered). This study is among the first to use face photos from individuals experiencing natural symptoms of illness and the same individuals when they are healthy. The findings, published in the journal Child Development, showed that adults and older children (8-to-9-year-olds) were able to avoid and recognize sick faces.
Dr. Michael Zárate is currently the Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Psychology Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. He was interviewed by Dr. Keith Pannell, host of We Are UT-El Paso on KTEP.
“I’ve always been able to understand how people feel and to see their perspective,” said Luisa Piette, who lives in Cool, California. “I feel their pain, whether it’s people going through a difficult divorce or an acquaintance who couldn’t pay their rent. I’ve been there to lend an ear and to empathize with them.” Piette…