Growth Spurts Research Paper

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It is argued that the growth periods of childhood and adolescence is unique to the human species and is not observed in other living mammals. During this period human experience observable growth spurts in both height and weight at much higher levels than other mammals and primates. This is what set humans apart as the physical and behavioural characteristics of the adolescent stage are observed in other mammals. The evidence stems from the peak velocities for growth, often in response to hormone levels characteristically lower than in primates (Bogin. B, 1999). Within these values there is sexual dimorphism in the levels of these growth spurts. The childhood life stage is the precursor to the juvenile stage and the adolescent stage occurs post puberty (Bogin. B, 1997). …show more content…

Hormones caused by puberty and sexual maturation causing the growth spurt initiate the adolescent life stage. This period lasts between 5 to 10 years in humans (Bogin. B, 2010). The growth spurt is in both height and weight and in these peak velocities can show the differences amongst species. At a peak velocity it in fact females who are heavier than males, which is different from primates where the reverse is so (Leigh. S, 1996). Although Leigh (1996) argues that in terms of mass when accounting for variables such as body size the differences in mass are less distinctive. Bogin (1999) however argues that in terms of skeletal growth in height as a unique human characteristic. Females are also reaching a peak velocity at relatively earlier times compared to males. The most distinctive feature separating humans is the time scale in which the growth spurts occur in comparison to mammal counterparts. This is most likely due to the delay of human growth by the addition of childhood and adolescent growth

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