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Ninety-three youth (ages 7\u201317 years) provided behavioral rating of same- and opposite-sex attitudes, and 52 youth (ages 4\u201318 years) underwent an fMRI scan as they matched the emotion of same- and opposite-sex faces. We demonstrate significant age-related behavioral biases of sex that are mediated by differential amygdala response to opposite-sex relative to same-sex faces in children, an effect that completely attenuates by the teenage years. Moreover, we find a second peak in amygdala sensitivity to opposite-sex faces around the time of puberty. Thus, the amygdala codes for developmentally dependent and motivationally relevant social identification across development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn_a_00813","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,4,7]],"date-time":"2015-04-07T17:33:58Z","timestamp":1428428038000},"page":"1685-1696","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1162\/mitpressjournals.corrections.policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["\u201cThe Cooties Effect\u201d: Amygdala Reactivity to Opposite- versus Same-sex Faces Declines from Childhood to Adolescence"],"prefix":"10.1162","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Eva H.","family":"Telzer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign"}]},{"given":"Jessica","family":"Flannery","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2University of Oregon"}]},{"given":"Kathryn L.","family":"Humphreys","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3University of California, Los Angeles"}]},{"given":"Bonnie","family":"Goff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3University of California, Los Angeles"}]},{"given":"Laurel","family":"Gabard-Durman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"4Columbia University"}]},{"given":"Dylan G.","family":"Gee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3University of California, Los Angeles"}]},{"given":"Nim","family":"Tottenham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"4Columbia University"}]}],"member":"281","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021073000542503300_R61","first-page":"429","article-title":"The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcomes assessment","author":"Achenbach","year":"1999"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1021833110722","article-title":"An evolutionary perspective of sex-typed toy preferences: Pink, blue, and the brain","volume":"32","author":"Alexander","year":"2003","journal-title":"Archives of Sexual Behavior"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.1016\/S1090-5138(02)00107-1","article-title":"Sex differences in response to children's toys in nonhuman primates (Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus)","volume":"23","author":"Alexander","year":"2002","journal-title":"Evolution and Human Behavior"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1306","DOI":"10.1177\/0002764203046010003","article-title":"Differences in children's construction of gender across culture an interpretive approach","volume":"46","author":"Aydt","year":"2003","journal-title":"American Behavioral Scientist"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1889","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2011.01.034","article-title":"The human amygdala plays a stimulus specific role in the detection of novelty","volume":"55","author":"Balderston","year":"2011","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-9280.1992.tb00028.x","article-title":"Early androgens are related to childhood sex-typed toy preferences","volume":"3","author":"Berenbaum","year":"1992","journal-title":"Psychological Science"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"162","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-8721.2007.00496.x","article-title":"Developmental intergroup theory explaining and reducing children's social stereotyping and prejudice","volume":"16","author":"Bigler","year":"2007","journal-title":"Current Directions in Psychological Science"},{"key":"2021073000542503300_R7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"941","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn.2008.20062","article-title":"Are attractive people rewarding? 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