Abstract
Facial structure and emotional expressions are two of many facial attributes that have been found to impact first impressions. Moreover, some facial expressions tend to resemble structural facial categories. In particular, surprised faces tend to resemble the faces of babies, and both surprise and babyfaceness contribute to similar trait attributions. Studies have also shown that emotion identification is enhanced in moving faces, yet previous research on the impact of babyfaceness and emotional expressions has not investigated impressions in moving faces. The current study investigated the impact of babyfaceness and surprise on impressions of dominance and affiliation in both moving and non-moving faces. Babyfaceness was found to decrease perceived dominance and increase perceived affiliation, but these effects were moderated by emotional expression. Surprised expressions increased perceived affiliation, but this effect was attenuated by facial movement. Movement also increased perceived affiliation, but only for faces that were low in babyfaceness. Theoretical interpretations and practical applications are discussed.