Mothers' and fathers' recognition of their newborns' photographs during the postpartum period

Abstract

In the present study, we have compared the ability of mothers and fathers to recognize their newborns' photographs during the early postpartum period. We suspected that fathers would prove to be less proficient than mothers, as a result of differences in the quality of their contact with their newborns. Our hypothesis was not confirmed. Rather, mothers and fathers were, for the most part, equally proficient at recognizing their infants. Since focused attention is a requisite for accurate photograph recognition, these data suggest that fathers view their newborns with perspicacity comparable to that of mothers.