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Shamsipour Dehkordi P, Rahavi Ezabadi R, Sangari M, Nikrah M. (2024). The effect of physical maturity and relative age on cognitive flexibility of athlete children. Journal of Childhood Health and Education. 5(3), : 6 doi:10.32592/jeche.5.3.63
URL: http://jeche.ir/article-1-175-en.html
The effect of physical maturity and relative age on cognitive flexibility of athlete children
Parvaneh Shamsipour Dehkordi *1, Rosa Rahavi Ezabadi1, Mandana Sangari2, Maryam Nikrah3
1- Associate Professor, Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Islamic Azad University, Chalous Branch, Mazandaran, Iran
3- Master of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: maturity, relative age, cognitive flexibility, athlete children
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Extended Abstract
Background and Aim:
Emphasis on identifying and nurturing 'talented' individuals along the path of athletic and academic excellence is considered paramount for any country (Huertas et al., 2019). The ability to distinguish between a child's or adolescent's current performance in terms of cognitive or athletic abilities and their potential for future improvement is quite challenging (Till et al., 2014). The effect of physical maturity offers an explanation for why an adolescent’s traits may not reflect their adult performance, as anthropometric characteristics and physical fitness are affected by the rate of a child's growth and maturity, allowing individuals to have an advantage in skill execution compared to their peers of the same chronological age (Towsend et al., 2018). In a similar vein, an individual with early maturation or a higher chronological age compared to a late-maturing peer, who is less mature for their chronological age, may have a greater chance of being selected for sports teams and academic academies. This selection is due to their advanced physical and mental readiness (Luna, 2009; Teixeira, 2018). The combination of relatively older age and advanced maturity positively influences selection. These differences, known as the Relative Age Effects (RAEs), can lead to a performance advantage for individuals born at certain times of the year. The difference in physical and biological maturation is the main reason for the influence of relative age (RAE). This difference among players, especially in younger age groups, has been recognized as a key factor in performance and selection (Clifford et al., 2014). Research has suggested that relatively 'younger' athletes, compared to relatively 'older' athletes, enjoy performance advantages in gymnastics, a phenomenon known as the 'reverse age effect' (Aubrin, 2018; Ramos Filho & Freya, 2021).
It appears that social factors (coaches, staff, and parents) may affect  RAEs through initial selection or registration (Hancock et al., 2013). In addition, numerous  talent identification and development models, which are used to identify and grow talent, are mostly based on anthropometric and physiological tests (Williams et al., 2020). These tests and the emphasis on 'result-oriented' outcomes benefit adolescents who mature earlier than their teammates. If the behaviors of coaches, parents, and teammates continue to encourage and support early identification of children's abilities, the Pygmalion effect may increase (Hancock et al., 2013). Therefore, a review of the research literature highlights the importance of relative age effects and physical maturation in the talent identification process in both motor and non-motor domains. Another factor potentially influenced by relative age and maturity in children is their cognitive performance. Athletes' performances result from the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. To excel in their respective sports, athletes experience a continuous adaptation process that affects their physical and cognitive characteristics (Huertas et al., 2019).
Considering the cognitive performance of athletes, it can be stated  that younger or late-maturing players need to develop more technical, tactical, or perceptual-cognitive skills to be selected and/or maintained on the team. This is a way of adapting to a competitive environment where, initially, they cannot rely on their physical attributes to solve various game situations as much as their peers can. Although physical maturity seems to drive selection in the early stages of assessment, interesting interactions between body mass, physical fitness, and cognition should be considered. In light of the aforementioned issues, the  present study aimed to assess  the effect of relative age and levels of physical maturity on cognitive flexibility of young athletes.
Methods:
The present research method is descriptive and causal-comparative. According to the Physical Education Department of Qazvi, the number of 11- and 12-year-old children in Qazvin in the first half of the 2019-2020 academic year was 621. In this study, 400 children (102 swimmers, 98 gymnasts, 53 yoga practitioners, and 147 children engaged in martial arts) participated using a census method. The inclusion criteria entailed continuous membership for at least one year in one of the sports clubs, participation in at least three weeks of the relevant activity, and being in the 11-12 age range in Qazvin. Moreover,  children’s parents had to be their biological parents.
The research tools included demographic questionnaires, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (Astromg et al., 2017), a stadiometer, and a digital scale. The physical maturity status of the children was assessed indirectly and non-invasively by estimating the percentage of adult height (Khamis and Roche method, 1994). The research data were collected through an online survey using a semi-structured questionnaire via Google Forms. The questionnaires were sent in advance through email, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms to the participants, teachers, and parents of the children with prior coordination. The online questionnaire prepared by the researchers included three sections concerning demographic characteristics (considering variables related to the calculation of relative age and physical maturity) and the cognitive flexibility of the children. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to test the simultaneous effect of relative age and physical maturity levels on cognitive flexibility and its components. All data were processed using SPSS software (version 26), and a significance level of 0.05 was considered.
Results:
The results pointed out that the mean cognitive flexibility and its components in 11- and 12-year-old children born in the spring were better than those born in other quarters of the year. In addition, the mean  cognitive flexibility and its components in 12-year-old children (M = 3.78) were better in all seasons of the year compared to 11-year-olds (M=4.51). The mean cognitive flexibility and its components in 11- and 12-year-old children with early maturation (M=4.53) were better than in children with late maturation (M=5.33) and normal maturation (M=4.96). Furthermore, the mean cognitive flexibility and its components in 12-year-old children (M=3.80) were better in all maturity levels compared to 11-year-olds (M = 4.96) across early, normal, and late maturity levels. To examine the impact of relative age on cognitive flexibility and its components in 11- and 12-year-old children, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used. According to the results, the effect of chronological age (11 and 12 years) was significant at the 0.05 error level for each of the variables of routine issues, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility (P<0.05). Therefore, the mean values for routine matters, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility differed between 11- and 12-year-old children.
The comparison of means illustrated that 12-year-old children had better mean scores in routine matters, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility compared to 11-year-olds, and chronological age affects cognitive flexibility and its variables. The effect of relative age (birth in any of the four seasons) was significant at the 0.05 error level for each of the variables of routine matters, change/transformation, creativity, and cognitive flexibility (P<0.05). For pairwise comparisons, the Bonferroni post-hoc test results demonstrated that the mean values for routine matters, change/transformation, creativity, and cognitive flexibility differed among children born in spring, summer, autumn, and winter (P<0.05). To examine the impact of physical maturity on cognitive flexibility and its components in 11- and 12-year-old children, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used. As suggested by the results, the effect of chronological age (11 and 12 years) was significant at the 0.05 error level for each of the variables of routine matters, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility (P<0.05). The comparison of means indicated that 12-year-old children had better average values in routine matters, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility compared to 11-year-olds, and chronological age affects cognitive flexibility and its variables. The results pinpointed that the mean values for routine matters, change/transformation, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility in 11- and 12-year-old children with early maturation were better than in children with late maturation. Furthermore, the mean values for routine matters, change/transformation, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility were better in 12-year-old children at all three maturity levels compared to 11-year-olds.
Discussion and conclusion:
The present study aimed to assess the impact of maturity and relative age on cognitive flexibility of young athletes. The results of multivariate analysis of variance suggested that the effect of chronological age (11 and 12 years) was significant for each of the variables of routine matters, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility. The comparison of means indicated that 12-year-old children had better means in routine matters, special interests, creativity, and cognitive flexibility compared to 11-year-olds, and chronological age affects cognitive flexibility and its variables. The effect of relative age (birth in any of the four seasons) was also significant for each of the variables of routine matters, transformation/change, creativity, and cognitive flexibility. Children born in spring and summer had the best means, while those born in winter had the lowest means in routine matters, transformation/change, creativity, and cognitive flexibility. The findings of this research are consistent with those reported by Ramos Filho and Frey (2021), Huertas et al. (2019), Kabali et al. (2018), Abrin (2018), and Till et al. (2014). In his study, Abrin (2018) examined the effect of relative age on children's behavior in elementary grades. In the stated research, relative age was identified as one of the factors affecting teacher rankings.
Researchers concluded that athletes with older ages (compared to their peers) benefit from certain advantages, as older athletes are given more opportunities to develop their skills, which is known as the "Matthew effect." One hypothesis is that children born in the third and fourth quarters of the year are less active than those born in the first quarter and have fewer opportunities for cognitive and physical activities (Roberts et al., 2012). Furthermore, the findings of this study demonstrated that the effect of physical maturity levels on cognitive flexibility and its components was not significant. Research has emphasized the role of maturation in cognitive development, providing strong evidence that processing speed and working memory reach full development in mid to late adolescence. In addition, research has highlighted the relationship between changing levels of sex hormones and cognitive growth. The results of this research are in agreement with those reported by Wuntella et al. (2003) and Luna et al. (2009).
Regarding the role of physical maturity in cognitive functions, studies have illustrated that children do not grow in stages classically defined; that is to say, (1) their behavior does not gradually change, (2) instead of showing simultaneous changes in different domains, they develop at varying speeds across different domains, and (3) different children grow in different ways. The findings of this study pointed to the impact of RAE on cognitive flexibility. The occurrence of RAE and its potential negative impacts are evident in other research findings as well. As a result, raising awareness and knowledge about RAE is a potential approach to addressing this issue. Those responsible for organizing and planning education and sports programs in the country should be aware of the relative age effect and how it can impact children's growth and comparisons. They should design a comprehensive and practical plan in schools to promote and develop motor skills in areas of motor coordination and fundamental skills based on relative age and physical maturity.

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Type of Study: Research | Subject: General
Received: 2023/11/18 | Accepted: 2024/03/12 | Published: 2024/06/11
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