Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Emerging Adulthood

Emerging Adulthood

Jeffrey Arnett's concept of emerging adulthood offers a framework to understand the unique developmental stage between adolescence and full-fledged adulthood, generally from ages 18 to 25. This period is marked by extensive exploration and shifts in identity, relationships, and career choices, a process known in psychology as role experimentation. Emerging adulthood reflects the evolving cultural expectations surrounding adulthood and the dynamic process of personal transformation during this...

Adler's Individual Psychology

Adler's Individual Psychology

Alfred Adler, a prominent figure in psychology, founded the school of individual psychology. In contrast to Freud's emphasis on sexual or aggressive motives, Adler suggested that individuals are primarily motivated by their purposes and goals. He believed that people strive for perfection rather than pleasure. Adler argued that individuals could creatively act upon their genetic inheritance and environmental experiences to shape their own lives, emphasizing conscious motivation over unconscious...

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are themselves.

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the recognition that people have...

Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Phallic

Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Phallic

The third stage of psychosexual development proposed by Freud is the phallic stage, occurring between the ages of 3 and 6. During this period, children become aware of their bodies and the differences between males and females. The erogenous zone in this stage is the genitals, and conflicts arise as children develop desires toward the opposite-sex parent. Boys experience the Oedipus complex, where they desire their mother and view their father as a rival. This leads to castration anxiety, the...

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Dynamic redox monitoring in differentiated human neuroblastoma models of Parkinson's disease.

Redox report : communications in free radical research·2025

Same author

An exceptionally photostable mScarlet3 mutant.

Nature methods·2025

Same author

T-Shaped Wedge Resection of the Upper Eyelid: An Alternative to the Pentagonal Wedge.

Ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery·2025

Same author

Adipose development is consistent across hunter-gatherers and diverges from western references.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024

Same author

Preseptal transconjunctival approach in orbital floor fracture repairs to prevent postoperative lower eyelid malposition.

American journal of otolaryngology·2023

Same author

Development of adiposity among Ju/'Hoansi Hunter-Gatherers.

American journal of biological anthropology·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Published on: February 25, 2016

Adrenarche and middle childhood.

Benjamin C Campbell¹

¹Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 290 Sabin Hall, 3413 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA. campbelb@uwm.edu

Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)

|March 6, 2012

Summary

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) plays a key role in middle childhood development. It regulates energy allocation for brain and body growth, influencing synaptic plasticity and social signaling.

Area of Science:

Endocrinology
Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Middle childhood (6-12 years) is marked by social, somatic, and endocrinological changes.
Adrenarche, the onset of adrenal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) production, signifies this developmental stage.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose that DHEA is crucial for coordinated brain and body development during middle childhood.
To explore DHEA's role in energetic allocation, synaptic plasticity, and social signaling.

Main Methods:

Conceptual framework based on existing literature.
Analysis of DHEA's proposed physiological and biochemical mechanisms.

Main Results:

Increasing DHEA levels may down-regulate glucose release, influencing brain energy supply for synaptogenesis.

More Related Videos

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions

Published on: March 12, 2019

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice

Published on: March 15, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Published on: February 25, 2016

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions

Primary Culture of Rat Adrenocortical Cells and Assays of Steroidogenic Functions

Published on: March 12, 2019

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice

Published on: March 15, 2024

DHEA's antioxidant properties might support synaptic plasticity in developing cortical areas.

DHEA may contribute to body odor development, a social signal of behavioral changes.

Conclusions:

DHEA is hypothesized to be a key regulator of middle childhood development.
DHEA influences brain development, energy metabolism, and social signaling during this critical period.