There is converging evidence for the presence of a fast subcortical face-processing route that operates on global face characteristics in the mature brain. Until now, little has been known about the development of such a route, which is surprising given suggestions that this fast subcortical face-processing route might be affected in…

Combined with emotional expressions, eye gaze can provide essential information to indicate threat in the environment. The current study assessed the effects of eye gaze direction on infants' neural processing of fearful and angry faces. Event-related potentials were recorded from thirteen 7-month-old infants. Two face-sensitive posterior…

Young children watched videotaped fairy tales that involved child or adult control over frightening events. Subsequently, they watched a videotape of a child having a medical exam. Children who had watched the child control fairy tales showed an enhancement, whereas children who had watched the adult control fairy tales showed a deficit, in…