Speeding-up while growing-up: Synchronous functional development of motor and non-motor processes across childhood and adolescence

Describing the maturation of information processing in children is fundamental for developmental science. Although non-linear changes in reaction times have been well-documented, direct measurement of the development of the different processing components is lacking. In this study, electromyography was used to quantify the maturation of premotor and motor processes on a sample of 114 children (6–14 years-old) and 15 adults. Using a model-based approach, we show that the development of these two components is well-described by an exponential decrease in duration, with the decay rate being equal for the two components. These findings provide the first unbiased evidence in favour of the common developmental rate of nonmotor and motor processes by directly confronting rates of development of different processing components within the same task. This common developmental rate contrasts with the differential physical maturation of region-specific cerebral gray and white matter. Tentative paths of interpretation are proposed in the discussion.

The early life of king penguins: ontogeny of dive capacity and foraging behaviour in an expert diver

The period of emancipation, when juvenile seabirds change from a terrestrial existence to a life at sea, is associated with many challenges. Apart from finding favourable foraging sites, they have to develop effective prey search patterns and physiological capacities that enable them to capture sufficient prey to meet their energetic needs. Animals that dive to forage, like king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), need to acquire an adequate breath-hold capacity, allowing them to locate and capture prey at depth. To investigate the ontogeny of their dive capacity and foraging performance, we implanted juvenile king penguins before their first departure to sea and also adult breeders with a data-logger recording pressure and temperature. We found that juvenile king penguins possessed a remarkable dive capacity when leaving their natal colony, enabling them to conduct dives in access of 100 m within their first week at sea. Despite this, juvenile dive/foraging performance, investigated in relation to dive depth, remained below the adult level throughout their first year at sea, likely reflecting physiological limitations due to incomplete maturation. A significantly shallower foraging depth of juveniles, particularly during their first five months at sea, could also indicate differences in foraging strategy and targeted prey. The initially greater wiggle rate suggests that juveniles fed opportunistically and also targeted different prey than adults and/or that many wiggles of juveniles reflect unsuccessful prey-capture attempts, indicating a lower foraging proficiency. After five months, this difference disappeared, suggesting sufficient physical maturation and improvement of juvenile foraging skills.

High plasticity in marmoset monkey vocal development from infancy to adulthood

The vocal behavior of human infants undergoes marked changes across their first year while becoming increasingly speech-like. Conversely, vocal development in nonhuman primates has been assumed to be largely predetermined and completed within the first postnatal months. Contradicting this assumption, we found a dichotomy between the development of call features and vocal sequences in marmoset monkeys, suggestive of a role for experience. While changes in call features were related to physical maturation, sequences of and transitions between calls remained flexible until adulthood. As in humans, marmoset vocal behavior developed in stages correlated with motor and social development stages. These findings are evidence for a prolonged phase of plasticity during marmoset vocal development, a crucial primate evolutionary preadaptation for the emergence of vocal learning and speech.

Correspondence Between Perceived Pubertal Development and Hormone Levels in 9-10 Year-Olds From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

AimTo examine individual variability between perceived physical features and hormones of pubertal maturation in 9–10-year-old children as a function of sociodemographic characteristics.MethodsCross-sectional metrics of puberty were utilized from the baseline assessment of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study—a multi-site sample of 9–10 year-olds (n = 11,875)—and included perceived physical features via the pubertal development scale (PDS) and child salivary hormone levels (dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone in all, and estradiol in females). Multi-level models examined the relationships among sociodemographic measures, physical features, and hormone levels. A group factor analysis (GFA) was implemented to extract latent variables of pubertal maturation that integrated both measures of perceived physical features and hormone levels.ResultsPDS summary scores indicated more males (70%) than females (31%) were prepubertal. Perceived physical features and hormone levels were significantly associated with child’s weight status and income, such that more mature scores were observed among children that were overweight/obese or from households with low-income. Results from the GFA identified two latent factors that described individual differences in pubertal maturation among both females and males, with factor 1 driven by higher hormone levels, and factor 2 driven by perceived physical maturation. The correspondence between latent factor 1 scores (hormones) and latent factor 2 scores (perceived physical maturation) revealed synchronous and asynchronous relationships between hormones and concomitant physical features in this large young adolescent sample.ConclusionsSociodemographic measures were associated with both objective hormone and self-report physical measures of pubertal maturation in a large, diverse sample of 9–10 year-olds. The latent variables of pubertal maturation described a complex interplay between perceived physical changes and hormone levels that hallmark sexual maturation, which future studies can examine in relation to trajectories of brain maturation, risk/resilience to substance use, and other mental health outcomes.

Young frigatebirds learn how to compensate for wind drift

Compensating for wind drift can improve goalward flight efficiency in animal taxa, especially among those that rely on thermal soaring to travel large distances. Little is known, however, about how animals acquire this ability. The great frigatebird ( Fregata minor ) exemplifies the challenges of wind drift compensation because it lives a highly pelagic lifestyle, travelling very long distances over the open ocean but without the ability to land on water. Using GPS tracks from fledgling frigatebirds, we followed young frigatebirds from the moment of fledging to investigate whether wind drift compensation was learnt and, if so, what sensory inputs underpinned it. We found that the effect of wind drift reduced significantly with both experience and access to visual landmark cues. Further, we found that the effect of experience on wind drift compensation was more pronounced when birds were out of sight of land. Our results suggest that improvement in wind drift compensation is not solely the product of either physical maturation or general improvements in flight control. Instead, we believe it is likely that they reflect how frigatebirds learn to process sensory information so as to reduce wind drift and maintain a constant course during goalward movement.

A researcher’s guide to the measurement and modeling of puberty in the ABCD StudyⓇ at baseline

Through the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development℠ (ABCD) Study, developmental scientists have open access to data about pubertal development within the context of a large, diverse sample of adolescents in the United States. For researchers interested in analyzing this data, this article provides a user’s guide that both describes these variables and outlines recommendations for use. These considerations are contextualized with reference to cross-sectional empirical analyses of puberty measures within the baseline ABCD dataset by Herting, Uban, and colleagues (under review), also presented in this issue. Strengths of the ABCD StudyⓇ for investigating puberty include the size and composition of the sample, including understudied groups, as well as opportunities for multimethod measurement using both questionnaire and salivary hormone measures annually. Relative limitations include a lack of data on the earliest phases of puberty, which may be more pronounced for specific demographic groups, as well as an annual temporal resolution with a single, text-based questionnaire of perceived physical maturation and single time-point salivary data collection per study visit. We discuss strategies to capitalize on strengths, mitigate weaknesses, and appropriately interpret study limitations for researchers using pubertal variables within the ABCD dataset, with the aim of building toward a robust science of adolescent development.

Puberty: An approach to diagnosis and management with an osteopathic component

Puberty is generally known as the emotional and physical maturation of a child to adulthood. This allows for sexual maturation and the means to reproduce. Children will undergo a pubertal growth spurt, as well as changes to the reproductive organs. While puberty is mostly associated with changes in reproduction and endocrine systems, it is multifaceted and affects the musculoskeletal, behavioral and vascular systems. Puberty occurs due to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and a progressive increase in the amount of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) released. The average age of puberty is 13 years old in girls and 14 years old in boys. Associated pubertal diseases are usually split into two categories, based on whether the physical indicators appear earlier or later than expected. When these indicators occur at two standard deviations (SD) early, it is known as precocious puberty, and when they are 2–2.5 SDs late, it is known as delayed puberty. Because of the inseparability of physical and mental health, osteopathic medicine offers a practical approach for treatment of pubertal conditions using osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Osteopathic medicine takes a holistic view of the person in which somatic, visceral and psychological dysfunction are united. Thus, physicians who incorporate OMT into their practice will be able to aid in promoting proper development during puberty as well as addressing accompanying somatic dysfunctions. In this paper, we will discuss the physiology of puberty, pubertal disorders, the epidemiology of puberty, current management protocols, osteopathic considerations in puberty and OMT’s role in treatment.

The History of the Concept Adult and Research Regarding Adult Development

The history of concepts about the adult and that of research into adult constructs show progression from a simple characterization of growth to a variety of complex constructs that define the terrain. Originally, the term adult encompassed all species and events that had attained full physical maturation, a product connotation. Later, time and events (e.g., marriage, the birth of children) became proxies for adult development. The absence of considerations of adult development was augmented by the fact that, for much of the past, adults could not be seen in long-term individual evolution since lifetimes were not extensive. In the 73 years of Psychological Abstracts, adults under various headings (e.g., adulthood, middle age) was referenced in a mere .01% of citations. The first mention of “adult” in a journal title was in 1994. Into the 21st century, although the exploration of various adult constructs abounds, the use of single terms (e.g., intelligence, wisdom) to describe multidimensional attributes leads to misunderstanding and reductionism. There is scant cross-construct analysis and, along with its parent discipline of psychology, analysis of adult development remains at the nascent descriptive level. Looking at the two major constructs of adult personality and intelligence, personality has had the lion’s share of publications. An examination of trends in its analysis reveals that the constructs are defined in various ways, little in the way of socio-contextual appraisal has occurred, and, with respect to the appraisal of intelligence, motivation to perform is ill-examined.

PENDEKATAN PENDIDIKAN SPIRITUAL UNTUK MENANGGULANGI KENAKALAN REMAJA

Adolescence is a period of transition. At that time, there was a process leading to intellectual, spiritual and physical maturation in order to form a clear identity when facing doubts who their realities, resulting in emotional turmoil and mental stress. So to know the prevention of promiscuity in adolescence needs to be studied approaches to the development of their spiritual intelligence. The results of the study show that ways to deal with promiscuity are pursued by providing assistance to adolescents to formulate their life goals, short-term, medium-term life goals to long-term life goals, tell exemplary stories, interesting and memorable stories, such as the stories of the prophets, or another hero, discussing issues with a spiritual perspective, involving youth in religious rituals, bringing youth to people who suffer, and visiting the procession of death will make teens sensitive to each other so as to encourage youth to do good for others, teach the Qur'an and explain their meaning in their life.

Involvement of Social and Cognitive Factors in Reading Skills of Boys and Girls: A Comparative Study

It has been a controversial issue to ascertain whether girls have an advantage in literacy skills over boys or not. There are studies showing a minor or no lead of girls in literacy skills (White, 2007). On the other hand, several studies described better literacy skills in girls than boys (Ready, LoGerfo, Burkam& Lee, 2005; Coley, 2001). Reasons like differences in biology,cognitive and physical maturation (Leinhardt, Seewald & Engel, 1979) are given to explain these differences. In this study, 8-9 years 66 grade 3 children were tested on loud reading tasks in both Urdu and English.The children were extracted from a bigger sample which participated in a previous study. In the present study, we used 3-word lists (words of mixed difficulty, pseudo-words, and easy frequent words) in both Urdu and English (3+3). A t-test was run to see the difference of performance on all word reading tasks by girls, and boys. The girls scored higher than boys on all Urdu and English tasks, except pseudo-words in Urdu where the difference was not significant whereas a tendency towards significance could be seen. The results presented evidence in favour of the advantage (cognitive or social) of girls over boys of the same age and grade.