Human Growth and Development / Unit 1 HGD 0021 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Critical or Sensitive
The idea
Critical and sensitive periods both describe windows when experience matters more than usual, but they differ in what happens if the window is missed. A critical period is a stretch of time in which a particular experience is required: without it, the ability does not develop normally, as the case of Genie suggests for language. A sensitive period is a stretch in which the right experience is especially helpful, so learning then is easier and more effective, but the ability can still develop later.
In practice
One question sorts every example: if the window is missed, is the ability lost, or only harder to gain?
Where people slip
The two terms are often used as if they meant the same thing. They do not: required and advantageous make different predictions about recovery. Human development is highly adaptable, and it takes extreme deprivation, at specific times, to restrict it severely.
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