A mother brings her healthy 8-week-old infant for a checkup and asks when her baby will start smiling back at her when she talks to him. At what age does the socially evoked smile typically appear?
- A 6 to 8 weeks ✓
- B At birth
- C 4 months
- D 6 months
Correct answer: A. 6 to 8 weeks
Explanation
The socially evoked smile, a smile in response to a caregiver's face or voice rather than an internal state, appears at 6 to 8 weeks and is a key social milestone. Smiles seen in newborns are endogenous or reflexive and occur during sleep without external stimulus. By 3 months the infant smiles broadly, babbles, and engages in reciprocal vocalization, so option C describes a later stage of the same behavior, not its onset.
Reference: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 21st ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.