Effects of maturity status, training background and stereopsis on perceptual-cognitive skills from childhood into adolescence

Perceptual-cognitive skills are determinant for sports performance in young athletes. The present study aimed to clarify how maturity status influences perceptual-cognitive skills with consideration of training background and stereopsis. One hundred and sixty-six 10- to 16-year-old male participants were divided into eight groups based on their training background (moderately-trained: 1–2 weekly sessions; well-trained: 4–5 weekly sessions) and maturity status (Pre-Pubertal₁ < -2 years from APHV, Pre-Pubertal₂ = -2 to -0.5 years from APHV, Pubertal = -0.49 to +0.5 years from APHV, Post-Pubertal > +0.5 year from APHV). Perceptual-cognitive skills were evaluated using a previously validated 3D-MOT task (i.e., the NeuroTracker^MT) with (3D) and without (2D) stereoscopic conditions. Pre-Pubertal₁ before ∼13 years had significantly lower scores than their older counterparts (p < 0.05 at least), while no significant differences were observed between Pre-Pubertal₂, Pubertal, and Post-Pubertal children. In addition, significantly higher scores were found under the 3D condition regardless of maturity status and training background (p < 0.001). Finally, no significant effects of training background or interaction between training background, stereopsis, and maturity status were found on NeuroTracker^MT performance scores. In conclusion, the present results show that maturity status positively impacts perceptual-cognitive skill development until the age of ∼13 years but that stereopsis-related advantage is not dependent on maturity status between 10 and 16 years. While no significant differences were observed between well- and moderately-trained children, high inter-individual variability regardless of stereopsis indicates that perceptual-cognitive skill evaluation during childhood and early adolescence may be useful for talent identification and long-term athlete development purposes.