DP 4

The role of critical and

sensitive periods in a person’s
psychological development
T HE CA SE O F G E N I E & I S A B E L L E
 Human development can be divided into age-based stages
• infancy: birth–2 years
• childhood: 2–12 years
• adolescence: 12–20 years
• early adulthood: 20–40 years
• middle age: 40–65 years
• older age: 65 years and beyond
Developmental theorists believe there are certain periods in these stages that are
important in the acquisition of physical and psychological skills.
 Sensitive VS Critical Periods (SMK)
Timing is everything!!!

Sensitive period Critical period Although plasticity is a core feature of the brain throughout
life, the timing of some experiences early in the lifespan are
Starts & ends Gradually Abruptly
important.
During the Period most likely to Period of compulsory
period learn the skill if learning if A sensitive period will last for as long as necessary for the
environment is right. environment is right.
individual to accomplish a particular stage in development.
If the “skill” is not learnt during this period, it can be learnt
After the The skill can still be The skill may never be
period learnt, but less learnt later, but will not be as easy.
efficiently
A critical period is a relatively brief period in development,
Examples Learning a language Full development of
can be learnt in vision occurs from 8 with identifiable start and end times. During this time, an
adulthood months to 3 years individual is most vulnerable to the deprivation or absence
of certain environmental stimuli or experiences.
 Sensitive VS Critical periods - EXAMPLES

https://youtu.be/Xd9u9N7Z4TU

Do you think an adult would have Imprinting (attachment) is the best known example of a critical period.
the same capacity to become For example, a newly hatched mallard duckling will approach and follow
fluent in 7 languages in under four the first noisy moving object encountered after birth. Under natural
years? conditions, this ‘object’ is the duckling’s mother
• What do you think would happen if you received no stimulus/experiences
for the first 10 years of your life?

• How can psychologists test if there are sensitive and critical periods?

• Do you think language (learning to talk) has a sensitive or critical period?

Genie Wiley : A case study (1970) – (SMK)

• Genie was locked in a darkened room with no verbal interaction from parents, brother, outside world until
the age of 13. Upon rescue at the age of 13, she was non-verbal, unable to walk or run, and wore nappies as
she had never been toileted or showered. After intense rehabilitation in hospital she was able to develop
vocabulary but could not communicate in sentences. While she was able to become engaged in day to day
life at first, she regressed after signs of improvement. Her left cerebral cortex was poorly developed which
inhibited her language skills from improving

Genie Wiley - TLC Documentary (2003) – YouTube

**Warning: This video may be a trigger for some viewers – it contains information regarding instances of childhood
neglect, abuse and suicide (12mins)

The Story of Genie Wiley, an Abused, Feral Child (verywellmind.com)

Comparison with previous case studies of isolated children provided additional evidence on the theory of sensitive and
critical periods for language.

Case study in 1930s - ‘Isabelle’ was hidden away by her mother and given only enough care to stay alive. Her mother, who
was deaf, is believed to have never spoken to her. At the age of six, Isabelle was discovered by other adults and brought
into a ‘normal’ environment. When Isabelle was found, she could not utter any words. Assessments by a psychologist
indicated that her cognitive development was below that of a normal two-year-old. But within a year Isabelle had learned
to speak many words, her tested intelligence was normal for her age and she started attending a normal school. Thus,
Isabelle at seven years, with one year of intensive language practice, spoke about as well as other children in her grade at
school, all of whom had about seven years of practice (Gleitman, Fridlund & Reisberg, 2004).

Compared with Genie, Isabelle had been given the opportunity to learn to speak her native language during the
sensitive period. Genie was the first case study of an isolated adolescent.

Genie’s case study showed that language has a sensitive period in development, ie a person can learn words, but her case
study also showed that there is an inability to learn grammar or the ability to construct sentences, which shows that some
language may have a critical period of development. (SMK)

Psychologists believe that after age 12, developing fluency in speaking one’s native language is difficult to achieve. (SMK)
Research methods application – LOGBOOK activity

• Learning music handout

WRITE ANSWERS DOWN IN YOUR LOGBOOK IN RELATION TO

CRITICAL & SENSITIVE PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT