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Maturation of Cognitive Processes From Late Childhood to Adulthood
Author(s) -
Luna Beatriz,
Garver Krista E.,
Urban Trinity A.,
Lazar Nicole A.,
Sweeney John A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00745.x
Subject(s) - working memory , psychology , cognition , developmental psychology , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , memory development , cognitive development , young adult , cognitive psychology , audiology , neuroscience , medicine
To characterize cognitive maturation through adolescence, processing speed, voluntary response suppression, and spatial working memory were measured in 8‐ to 30‐year‐old ( N =245) healthy participants using oculomotor tasks. Development progressed with a steep initial improvement in performance followed by stabilization in adolescence. Adult‐level mature performance began at approximately 15, 14, and 19 years of age for processing speed, response inhibition, and working memory, respectively. Although processes developed independently, processing speed influenced the development of working memory whereas the development of response suppression and working memory were interdependent. These results indicate that processing speed, voluntary response suppression, and working memory mature through late childhood and into adolescence. How brain maturation specific to adolescence may support cognitive maturation is discussed.