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In developmental psychology and developmental biology, a critical period is a maturational stage in the lifespan of an organism during which the nervous system is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli. If, for some reason, the organism does not receive the appropriate stimulus during this "critical period" to learn a given skill ...
Development may also occur as a result of human nature and of human ability to learn from the environment. There are various definitions of the periods in a child's development, since each period is a continuum with individual differences regarding starting and ending.
Embryonic development is a sensitive process and can be impacted by cues from predators, [41] light, [42] and/or temperature. [43] For example, in Daphnia , neonates exposed to predator cues displayed higher expression of genes related to digestion, reproductive function, and defense.
The theory has often been extended to a critical period for second-language acquisition (SLA). David Singleton states that in learning a second language, "younger = better in the long run", but points out that there are many exceptions, noting that five percent of adult bilinguals master a second language even though they begin learning it when they are well into adulthood—long after any ...
Another sensitive period shortly after birth may exist with a peak in testosterone in male infants during postnatal months 1-5. [14] Auyeung et al. tested for an association between fetal and postnatal testosterone and autism in children. The results supported the idea that there is a critical period during which organizational effects occur.
Language deprivation in deaf and hard-of-hearing children is a delay in language development that occurs when sufficient exposure to language, spoken or signed, is not provided in the first few years of a deaf or hard of hearing child's life, often called the critical or sensitive period. Early intervention, parental involvement, and other ...
The Critical period is the first few years of life during which the brain is most sensitive to language learning and development, typically defined to be from age two to puberty. Researchers have found that this can be biologically explained through the maturity of the brain during childhood, leading to a gradual decrease of neuroplasticity in ...
According to the sensitive or critical period models, the age at which a child acquires the ability to use language is a predictor of how well he or she is ultimately able to use language. [90] However, there may be an age at which becoming a fluent and natural user of a language is no longer possible; Penfield and Roberts (1959) cap their ...