News Finding: The researchers saw no difference in the amygdala's response to same-sex and opposite-sex faces in children between the ages of 10 and 12.
Paper Finding: In addition, youth showed a significant age-related decline in differential amygdala response to opposite-sex > same-sex faces.
News Context: The interest in opposite-sex peers tends to wane in later childhood, just before puberty, Telzer said. The researchers saw no difference in the amygdala's response to same-sex and opposite-sex faces in children between the ages of 10 and 12. But in puberty, children's interest in opposite-sex peers blooms anew.
Paper Context: In a multiple regression analysis, youth evidenced a significant age-related decline in rating positive attributes to same-sex youth ( Figure 6 ). In addition, youth showed a significant age-related decline in differential amygdala response to opposite-sex > same-sex faces. Finally, declines in amygdala response related to lower positive ratings of same-sex peers.