Scott D. Sampson found commonality between the slow growth of mating signals in centrosaurines and the extended adolescence of animals whose social structures are ranked hierarchies founded on age-related differences. In these sorts of groups, young males are typically sexually mature for several years before actually beginning to breed, when their mating signals are most fully developed.
Scott D. Sampson pointed out that there is an analogy between the slow development of mating signals in centrosaurines and the prolonged adolescence of animals living in societies structured around age-related dominance hierarchies, where young males take years to mature before breeding.