Abstract Perceptual Information for Age Level: A Risk Factor for Maltreatment?

2 independent and geographically disparate samples show that physically abused 3-6-year-old children have cranial/facial proportions that are atypically older than their nonabused age-mates. 2 independent photographic samples corroborated this finding, 1 investigating 2-7-year-olds and 1 investigating 12-15-year olds. All 4 samples were blind rated by researchers who were unaware of the hypothesis. Comparisons are made with other physical variables associated with age level such as height. It is suggested that cranial/facial proportion is a particularly salient abstract specification for age level and may be used without awareness in caregiving decisions. This may lead to caregivers' unrealistic expectations of youngsters who appear atypically older than their chronological age. If these children do not meet these expectations, either as to how they should typically appear or typically behave, they may be more vulnerable to abuse. This possibility lends some support to Lorenz's idea that "infant-schema" properties such as physical proportions may be implicated in caregiving. However, it is asserted that cranial/facial information is simply a specification for age level, not a cause of abusive behavior.