Though much research has explored how facial and bodily features connote heritable fitness, particularly in the context of short-term mating, such cues similarly may influence perceptions of potential parenting ability. The current study explored how body fat variation and breast size in female targets and body fat and muscularity variation in male targets influence men’s and women’s perceptions of targets’ positive (e.g., nurturance) and negative (e.g., hostility) parenting capacities. Participants viewed 4 female targets orthogonally manipulated along dimensions of adiposity (high vs. low) and breast size (small vs. large), and 4 male targets orthogonally manipulated along similar adiposity dimensions and muscularity (small vs. large) before indicating targets’ inferred parenting ability. High-fat female targets were perceived to have more positive and less negative parenting abilities relative to low-fat female targets, an effect that was most pronounced among women; breast size did not influence perceptions of female parenting ability. For male targets, high fat and small muscles were perceived as more indicative of positive parenting abilities and less indicative toward negative abilities; the low body fat/high muscle male target was perceived to have especially negative parenting abilities. These results suggest body cues often associated with good genes and short-term mating success also systematically influence perceptions of parenting ability.

中文翻译：

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爸爸和妈妈们？身体暗示对父母教养能力的推论

尽管大量研究探索了面部和身体特征如何暗示可遗传的适应性，特别是在短期交配的情况下，但此类提示同样可能影响对潜在育儿能力的看法。当前的研究探讨了女性目标人群的体脂变化和乳房大小以及男性目标人群的体脂和肌肉变化如何影响男人和女人对目标的积极（例如养育）和消极（例如敌对）养育能力的看法。参与者观察了4个沿着肥胖尺寸（高与低）和乳房大小（小与大）正交操纵的女性目标，以及4个沿着相似肥胖尺寸和肌肉（小与大）正交操纵的男性目标，然后指出目标的推断为人父母的能力。高脂肪的女性目标被认为比低脂肪的女性目标具有更高的积极性和更低的负性养育能力，这种影响在女性中最为明显。乳房的大小并没有影响对女性育儿能力的看法。对于男性目标，高脂肪和小肌肉被认为更能体现出积极的养育能力，而对消极能力则没有表现。低体脂/高肌肉男性目标被认为具有特别负面的养育能力。这些结果表明，通常与良好基因相关的体征和短期交配成功也会系统地影响对育儿能力的认识。乳房的大小并没有影响对女性育儿能力的看法。对于男性目标，高脂肪和小肌肉被认为更能体现出积极的养育能力，而对消极能力则没有表现。低体脂肪/高肌肉男性目标被认为具有特别负面的养育能力。这些结果表明，通常与良好基因相关的体征和短期交配成功也会系统地影响对育儿能力的认识。乳房的大小并没有影响对女性育儿能力的看法。对于男性目标，高脂肪和小肌肉被认为更能体现出积极的养育能力，而对消极能力则没有表现。低体脂/高肌肉男性目标被认为具有特别负面的养育能力。这些结果表明，通常与良好基因相关的体征和短期交配成功也会系统地影响对育儿能力的认识。