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Pubertal changes in emotional information processing: Pupillary, behavioral, and subjective evidence during emotional word identification

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

Jennifer S. Silk ,
Greg J. Siegle ,
Diana J. Whalen ,
Laura J. Ostapenko ,
Cecile D. Ladouceur  and
Ronald E. Dahl
Jennifer S. Silk*
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Greg J. Siegle
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Diana J. Whalen
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Laura J. Ostapenko
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Cecile D. Ladouceur
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Ronald E. Dahl
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jennifer S. Silk, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; E-mail: silkj@upmc.edu.
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Abstract

This study investigated pupillary and behavioral responses to an emotional word valence identification paradigm among 32 pre-/early pubertal and 34 mid-/late pubertal typically developing children and adolescents. Participants were asked to identify the valence of positive, negative, and neutral words while pupil dilation was assessed using an eyetracker. Mid-/late pubertal children showed greater peak pupillary reactivity to words presented during the emotional word identification task than pre-/early pubertal children, regardless of word valence. Mid-/late pubertal children also showed smaller sustained pupil dilation than pre-/early pubertal children after the word was no longer on screen. These findings were replicated controlling for participants' age. In addition, mid-/late pubertal children had faster reaction times to all words, and rated themselves as more emotional during their laboratory visit compared to pre-/early pubertal children. Greater recall of emotional words following the task was associated with mid-/late pubertal status, and greater recall of emotional words was also associated with higher peak pupil dilation. These results provide physiological, behavioral, and subjective evidence consistent with a model of puberty-specific changes in neurobehavioral systems underpinning emotional reactivity.

Type
Special Section Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 7 - 26
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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