The existence of critical or sensitive periods has been argued for cognitive functions such as language, which allows for communication with conspecifics. Faces also play a crucial role in establishing social communication. Here we discuss if critical or sensitive period concepts apply to face processing. We describe how experience shapes face processing during development. While there is not clear support for a critical period, there is some evidence of a sensitive period, with the face processing system showing early sensitivity to experience in the first year, remaining flexible until 10–12 years, and becoming less sensitive to experience thereafter. We also discuss possible links between sensitive periods for faces and language. We conclude that sensitive periods may reflect the need to adapt rapidly to the communication culture within one’s native social group, while retaining a degree of openness to perturbations to one’s local environment that can occur across the lifespan.

对于诸如语言之类的认知功能，人们已经提出了关键或敏感时期的存在，从而可以与特定对象进行交流。面孔在建立社会沟通中也起着至关重要的作用。在这里，我们讨论关键或敏感时期的概念是否适用于人脸处理。我们描述了体验如何影响开发过程中的面部处理。尽管在关键时期没有明确的支持，但有一些证据表明该时期是敏感的，面部处理系统对第一年的经验显示出早期的敏感性，直到10-12年都保持灵活，之后对经验的敏感性降低了。 。我们还将讨论面孔和语言的敏感时期之间的可能联系。