Critical/Sensitive Periods | Encyclopedia.com
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A critical or sensitive period is defined as a period when certain experiences are particularly important because they have a significant influence on later ...
SkiptomaincontentChildrenAppliedandsocialsciencesmagazinesCritical/SensitivePeriodsCritical/SensitivePeriodsgaleviewsupdatedCRITICAL/SENSITIVEPERIODSTheconceptofcritical/sensitiveperiodsisofinterestindiscussionsoftheinfluenceofbiologicalandexperientialfactorsduringperiodsofdevelopmentalchange.Acriticalorsensitiveperiodisdefinedasaperiodwhencertainexperiencesareparticularlyimportantbecausetheyhaveasignificantinfluenceonlaterdevelopment.Letusbeginourconsiderationofthisconceptwithacaseexamplethatillustratessomeofthesignificantdevelopmentalchangesthatoccurduringtheperiodofinfancyandearlychildhood.Eveisatypical,healthynewbornhumaninfant.Sheisraisedbyparentswhoaresensitivetoheruniqueneedsandcharacteristics,andwhoregularlyprovideherwithappropriatestimulationandparenting.ThefirstfiveyearsofEve'slifewillbewitnesstorapid,significantchangesinherbehaviorandabilities.Languagedevelopmentprovidesoneexampleofthesechanges.Asanewborn,Eveprefersthesoundofhumanvoicestoothersoundsandcandiscriminatebetweenthelanguageofhercultureandotherlanguages.Shecries,usuallywhenshehassomephysicalneeds,suchashunger.Byfivetosixmonthsofage,shewillcoowhencontentedandmaybebabblingorproducingsimplecombinationsofconsonantsandvowels.Bytwelvetoeighteenmonthsofage,shewillbespeakinginsinglewordsentencesandwillunderstandmorethanfiftywords.Bytwenty-fourmonthsofagehervocabularywillhaveexpandedtoapproximately200wordsandshewillbeproducinghundredsofdifferenttwo-andthree-wordsentences.Bytheageoffive,Evewillhaveavocabularyofabout2,000wordsandwillusemanyofthegrammaticalstructuresofhernativelanguage,withoutevertakingpartinaformallanguagelesson.TheperiodfrombirthtofiveyearsofagewillalsoincludesignificantchangesinEve'ssocialrelationships.Asanewborn,shecandiscriminatehermother'sface,voice,andsmellfromallothers.Bythreemonthsofage,shewillsmileatherparentsandwillreactpositivelytomoststrangers.Betweensevenandtwelvemonthsofageshewillbegintodemonstratespecificattachmentstoherparents,willdisplayanxietywhenstrangersapproach,andwillbedistressedbyseparationfromherparents.Bythreetofouryearsofage,Evewillcontinuetobesecurelyattachedtoherparents,butherdistressatseparationfromthemwilldiminish,andshewillbeabletoconfidentlyparticipateinanurseryschoolprogram.Thestudyofhumandevelopmentisthestudyofchange.AsthecaseofEveillustrates,thechangesthatoccurduringinfancyandchildhoodarehappeningatapacethatismorerapidandimpressivethanatanyotherperiodinthelifespan.Althoughpsychologistsagreethatthesedevelopmentalchangesduringinfancyandchildhoodareimpressiveandextraordinary,theyoftendisagreeonthebestwaytounderstandandexplainthesechanges.Oneareaofdisagreementisthediscussionofwhetherdevelopmentalchangesaretheresultofbiological,geneticfactorsorofthekindsofexperiencesthatthechildhashad.Anotherareaofdisagreementisthediscussionofwhetherdevelopmentalchangesoccurinaseriesofuniquestagesorperiods.Theconceptofacritical/sensitiveperiodisrelatedtobothoftheseareasofdiscussion.Thecritical/sensitiveperiodisdeterminedbybiologicalmaturationandcharacterizedbyincreasedvulnerabilityorresponsivitytospecificexperiences.Ifthesespecificexperiencesoccurduringthisperiod,thendevelopmentwillcontinueonitstypicalcourse.Ifthesespecificexperiencesdonotoccur,theremaybeasignificantdisruptionordifficultyinsubsequentdevelopment.Whatevidenceistheresupportingthisnotionofacriticalperiodindevelopment?Isthereadifferencebetweenacriticalperiodandasensitiveperiod?LanguageDevelopment:CriticalorSensitivePeriod?Languagedevelopmentprovidesoneexamplethatcanillustratetheconceptofacritical/sensitive
period.Althoughlanguagedevelopmentisaprocessthatpsychologistshavelongdebated,thereisagreementthatastrongbiologicalbasisforlanguageacquisitionexists.In1967,EricLennebergfirstproposedthenotionofacriticalperiodforlanguageacquisition.Hesuggestedthattheperiodbetweeninfancyandpuberty(thebeginningofadolescence)wasacriticalperiodforlanguageacquisition.Thiscriticalperiodwasthoughttoendatpubertybecauseofimportantmaturationalchangesinthebrainthatoccuratthistime.Languagemustbeacquiredduringthecriticalperiodifitistobeacquiredatall.Alternatively,iftheperiodfrominfancytopubertyisviewedasasensitiveperiod,ratherthanacriticalperiod,languagewillbelearnedmosteasilyduringthisperiod.Afterthesensitiveperiod,languagecanbelearned,butwithgreaterdifficultyandlessefficiency.Whatevidenceistheresupportingthisconceptofacriticalperiodforlanguageacquisition?Howcouldaresearcherevertestthisidea?Informationaboutthisissuecomesfromdifferentsources.Thesesourcesincludeafewunfortunateandextremecasesofchildhooddeprivation—childrenwhoweredeprivedoftypicalsocialexperiencesandstimulation.Perhapsthemostwell-knownofthesewasthecaseofGenie,whowasdescribedinaseriesofpublicationsinthe1970s.Geniewasessentiallykeptinisolationbyamaltreatingparent,withnoexposuretolanguageandnormalsocialexperiencesforthetimebetweentoddlerhoodandearlyadolescence.Whenshewasdiscovered,shehadsomeunderstandingoflanguagebutdidnotspeak.Afternearlyoneyearofintensivetrainingandinstruction,shehadavocabularyofabout200wordsandwasspeakingintwo-wordsentences.Sixyearslater,shehadmademuchprogress,butshewasstillmuchlessadvancedinherlanguagethanotherpeopleheragewhohadnormalexperiencesgrowingup.SinceGeniewasabletoacquirelanguagefollowingtheonsetofadolescence,thenotionthatlanguagelearningisimpossibleafterthecriticalperiodcannotbesupported.Rather,languagelearningcanoccuraftertheonsetofadolescencebutmaybeincomplete.Theperiodbetweeninfancyandadolescence,therefore,maybeasensitiveperiodforlanguagelearning—languagecanbeacquiredmoreeasilyduringthistime—ratherthananabsolutelycriticalperiod.Infant-ParentAttachment:ACritical/SensitivePeriodforSocialDevelopmentIllustrativeexamplesoftheconceptofacritical/sensitiveperiodcanalsobefoundinthedomainofsocialdevelopment.Oneparticularlyinterestingexampleistheformationoftheinfant-parentattachmentrelationship.Attachmentisthestrongemotionaltiesbetweentheinfantandthecaregiver.Thisreciprocalrelationshipdevelopsoverthefirstyearofthechild'slife,andespeciallyduringthesecondsixmonthsofthefirstyear.Duringthistime,theinfant'ssocialbehaviorbecomesincreasinglyorganizedaroundtheprincipalcaregiver.JohnBowlby,atwentieth-centuryEnglishpsychiatristwhowasstronglyinfluencedbyevolutionarytheory,formulatedandpresentedacomprehensivetheoryofattachment.Inthelate1950sandearly1960s,hefirstproposedthatthereisastrongbiologicalbasisforthedevelopmentofthisrelationship.AccordingtoBowlby,theinfant-parentattachmentrelationshipdevelopsbecauseitisimportanttothesurvivaloftheinfantandalsoprovidesasecurebasefromwhichtheinfantcanfeelsafeexploringtheirenvironment.Bowlbysuggestedthattherewasasensitiveperiodfortheformationoftheattachmentrelationship.Thisperiodisfromapproximatelysixmonthstotwenty-fourmonthsofageandcoincideswiththeinfant'sincreasingtendencytoapproachfamiliarcaregiversandtobewaryofunfamiliaradults.Inaddition,accordingtoBowlbyandhiscolleagueMaryAinsworth,thequalityofthisattachmentrelationshipisstronglyinfluencedbyexperiencesandrepeatedinteractionsbetweentheinfantandthecaregiver.Inparticular,Ainsworth'sresearch,thatwasfirstpublishedinthelate1960s,demonstratedthatasecureattachmentrelationshipisassociatedwiththequalityofcaregivingthattheinfantreceives.Morespecifically,consistentandresponsivecaregivingisassociatedwiththeformationofasecureattachmentrelationship.Iftheperiodfromsixmonthstotwenty-fourmonthsisviewedasacriticalperiodforthedevelopmentoftheattachmentrelationship,therelationshipmustbeformedduringthisspecificperiodinearlydevelopment.Alternatively,ifthisperiodisviewedasasensitiveperiod,theinfant-parentattachmentrelationshipwilldevelopmorereadilyduringthisperiod.Afterthesensitiveperiod,thisfirstattachmentrelationshipcandevelop,butwithgreaterdifficulty.Asinthecaseoflanguagedevelopment,informationaboutwhetherthereisacriticalorsensitiveperiodfortheformationofasecureattachmentrelationshipcomesfromdifferentsources.Thesesourcesincludecasesofinfantswhodidnotexperienceconsistentcaregivingbecausetheywereraisedininstitutionspriortobeingadopted.Theearlyresearchdocumentingsuchcaseswaspublishedinthe1940s.Thisresearchconsistentlyreportedthatchildrenrearedinorphanagesforthefirstyearsoflifesubsequentlyexhibitedunusualand
maladaptivepatternsofsocialbehavior,difficultyinformingcloserelationships,andindiscriminatelyfriendlybehaviortowardunfamiliaradults.Theresultsofthisearlyresearchcontributedtothedeclineofsuchformsofinstitutionalcare.Furthermore,theseresultssupportedthenotionofacriticalperiodfortheformationoftheattachmentrelationship.Researchpublishedinthe1990shascontributedtoamodificationofthisnotionofacriticalperiod.TheseresearchresultshavecomefromstudiesofinfantsinEasternEuropewhowereabandonedororphanedand,therefore,raisedininstitutionspriortoadoptionbyfamiliesinNorthAmericaandtheUnitedKingdom.Theseresultshaveindicatedthattheseadopteeswereabletoformattachmentrelationshipsafterthefirstyearoflifeandalsomadenotabledevelopmentalprogressfollowingadoption.Asagroup,however,thesechildrenappearedtobeatanincreasedriskforinsecureormaladaptiveattachmentrelationshipswiththeiradoptedparents.Thisevidence,then,isconsistentwiththenotionofasensitiveperiod,ratherthanacriticalperiod,forthedevelopmentofthefirstattachmentrelationship,ratherthanacriticalone.Seealso:AINSWORTH,MARYDINSMORESALTER;BOWLBY,JOHN;STAGESOFDEVELOPMENTBibliographyCurtiss,Susan.Genie:APsycholinguisticStudyofaModernDay"WildChild."NewYork:AcademicPress,1977.Goldberg,Susan.AttachmentandDevelopment.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2000.Marvin,RobertS.,andPrestonA.Britner."NormativeDevelopment:TheOntogenyofAttachment."InJudeCassidyandPhillipR.Shavereds.,HandbookofAttachment:Theory,Research,andClinicalApplications.NewYork:GuilfordPress,1999.Newport,ElissaL."ContrastingConceptionsoftheCriticalPeriodforLanguage."InSusanCareyandRochelGelmaneds.,TheEpigenesisofMind:EssaysonBiologyandCognition.Hillsdale,NJ:Erlbaum,1991.Rutter,Michael."AFreshLookat'MaternalDeprivation."'InPatrickBatesoned.,TheDevelopmentandIntegrationofBehaviour:EssaysinHonorofRobertHinde.NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,1991.AnnL.RobsonChildDevelopment×CitethisarticlePickastylebelow,andcopythetextforyourbibliography.MLAChicagoAPA"Critical/SensitivePeriods
."ChildDevelopment..Encyclopedia.com.28Feb.2022
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