Question

5. Describe/discuss the modern human maturation pattern. Specifically, focus on brain size/development prenatally and postnatal. What is the modern developmental pattern (broadly)? When do we estimate the modern developmental pattern appeared and what are we basing this model on? Helpful hint – think about the Turkana Boy fossil. 15 pts

Answer 1

Humans are one of the few species undergoing an adolescent growth spurt. Because children enter the spurt at different ages making age a poor maturity measure, longitudinal studies are necesary to identify the growth patterns and identify commonalities in adolscent growth. The standard maturity determinant, peak height velocity (PHV) timing, is difficult to estimate in indiiduals due to diurnal, postural, and measurement variation. Using prospective longitudinal populations of healthy children from two Nort American populations, we compared the timing of the adolescent growth spurt’s peak height velocity to normalized heights and hand skeletal maturity radiographs. We found that in healthy children, the adolescent growth spurt is standardized at 90% of final height with similar patterns for children of both sexes beginning at the initiation of the growth spurt. Once children enter the growth spurt, their growth pattern is consistent between children with peak growth at 90% of final height and skeletal maturity closely reflecting growth remaining. This ability to use 90% of final height as easily identified important maturity standard with its close relationship to skeletal maturity represents a significant advance allowing accurate prediction of future growth for individual children and accurate maturity comparisons for future studies of children’s growth.

The brain begins to develop very soon after conception as brain cells begin forming at the tip of the embryo. By 3 1/2 weeks, this neural tube begins to expand and mature to form the spinal cord and brain. Within the neural tube, brain cells or neurones begin to develop and send messages to each other.

The patterns that emerge at different ages are developmental trends. It's important to remember that developmental trends simply provide a reference point, and may not necessarily apply to all children and youth, especially children and youth with mental and/or physical disabilities. Cognitive Development. This is the child's ability to learn and solve problems.
Social and Emotionally Development. ...
Speech and Language Development. ...
Fine Motor Skill Development. ...
Gross Motor Skill Development.

The first human ancestors appeared between five millions and seven million years ago, probably when some apelike creatures in African began to walk habitually on two legs. They were flaking crude stone tools by 2.5 million years ago. Then some of them spread From Africa into Asia and Europe after two million years ago.