Scientists have tested 32 four- and five-year-olds shown 12 photos of women aged between 18 and 29, and they said that both boys and girls tended to believe answers assigned to pictures of pretty women, News.com.au reported.

The photos had previously been selected from 56 original images by a panel of university students who rated their attractiveness.

Only the most attractive and unattractive were presented to the children.

Lead researcher Dr Igor Bascandziev, from Harvard University in the US, said that when learning about the world, children rely heavily on information provided to them by other people.

The results showed that more children initially selected the attractive face, especially girls.

Both boys and girls tended to believe answers given by attractive-looking women.