Critical period is a vital developmental period for all living organisms in that it is when the nervous system is susceptible to various environmental factors. If an appropriate environment is not created during this period the organism may fail to illustrate required functions after growth. Functions that are fundamental all through the critical period include vision, imprinting, memory and language advancement.
The debate about the responsibility of nature and nurture on the learning as well as development of a child is old but currently scientists agree that there is an interaction between the two for appropriate growth of brain and its functions. Presently it is thought that genetic make-up contributes 20% in relation to environment that is 80%. In the first three years, the maturation process of the brain is wide and the environmental elements have a very imperative long-term impact to this development. Within this period, there is the shaping of the child’s thinking, construct, and feelings as well as understanding capacities. The environment could either develop or reduce innate potential (Ormrod, 2011).
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"The Critical Period".
Distinctions involving human beings are brought about by how unique the brain is which is developed in the early life. The outside environment will largely have an effect on the development of a child specially the cognitive growth. Children will be affected according to the cultures they are raised up in or the family surroundings. Culture, forms an external environment that moulds children into particular behavioral structures. Through daily interaction with adults children are able to internalize the social aspects that later defines them.
A good example about cultural environment being a determinant to the development of a child is in the course of language acquisition. Children acquire language and communication skills in the course of interaction with their elders. After birth the child does not come to the world with distinguished predispositions for phonemes of a given language and they are able to perceive sounds within any language. Research illustrates that when a child is isolated from a particular environment their language will be affected. The study of Genie is one that well explains this environmental effect on brain development (Dörnyei, 2009).
In relation to Benson & Haith (2009), Plasticity defines the capacity that the brain has in adapting to varying environmental factors. This can either be experience-expectant or experience dependent. Experience dependent plasticity explains the capability of the brain to become accustomed to experiences that a person is in; this takes place throughout the lifetime. Experience expectant plasticity alternatively explains the process of incorporating environmental elements within developmental patterns. The process of synaptic pruning is depicted during this period where elimination of synapses takes place.
Neural plasticity is a process that allows the structure of the brain and the performance to be aligned consistent with environmental factors. Synaptogenesis is a process that takes place throughout the lifetime of a person but this process involving synapses being formed in between neurons is also vital in the critical period. Exuberant synaptogenesis happens in the early stages of brain development. In the critical period when the synapses and neurons are competing for neural growth factors, the process of synaptic pruning is accelerated. In synaptic pruning, synapses are eliminated and this takes place after birth to adolescence (Blakemore & Choudhury 2006).
When the age increases there is stability, plasticity is inhibited, and the brain has a less degree of response towards new information. Synaptogenesis as well as synaptic pruning take place in neural systems that are differentiated and in dissimilar ages. In given regions of the brain there is always slow maturation which extend into year two of life within frontal lobes. These regions are responsible for reasoning, affect inhibition and other behavioral aspects (Blakemore & Choudhury 2006).
