Investigating perceptions of fetal resemblance

Abstract

Previous research has found that mothers are more likely to ascribe paternal resemblance to newborns. Moreover, studies have found that fathers who perceive that their children resemble them invest more in those children. In this study, we aimed to examine if maternal claims of paternal resemblance exist even with very limited visual information by asking parents whom they believed the fetus looked like during an ultrasound. We found that mothers, but not fathers, were more likely to say that the fetus resembled the father. Additionally, we found that women who were not married were even more likely to say that the fetus resembled the father. By claiming phenotypic similarity with the father, mothers are reducing paternity uncertainty and, consequently, securing investment for their offspring from when they are in utero.