Critical Period

Critical periods, sensitive developmental windows impacting learning and skill acquisition, are a focus of intense research across biological and artificial systems. Current investigations utilize deep neural networks, including linear and multi-modal architectures, to model and analyze these periods, exploring factors like data distribution, training dynamics, and the impact of early sensory input or guidance. This research aims to understand the underlying mechanisms driving critical periods, potentially informing educational strategies and improving the efficiency and robustness of artificial intelligence training. Findings suggest that early training dynamics are crucial and that appropriately timed interventions can significantly enhance learning outcomes.

Papers

July 27, 2024

Investigating Critical Period Effects in Language Acquisition through Neural Language Models
Ionut Constantinescu, Tiago Pimentel, Ryan Cotterell, Alex Warstadt
Language Model Plasticity Rule Language Acquisition Critical Period

May 29, 2024

Critical Learning Periods: Leveraging Early Training Dynamics for Efficient Data Pruning
Everlyn Asiko Chimoto, Jay Gala, Orevaoghene Ahia, Julia Kreutzer, Bruce A. Bassett, Sara Hooker
Training Data Training Dynamic Neural Machine Translation Model Data Pruning Critical Period

August 23, 2023

Critical Learning Periods Emerge Even in Deep Linear Networks
Michael Kleinman, Alessandro Achille, Stefano Soatto
Neural Network Deep Network Deep Linear Critical Period

October 6, 2022

Critical Learning Periods for Multisensory Integration in Deep Networks
Michael Kleinman, Alessandro Achille, Stefano Soatto
Deep Network Robust Learning Internal Representation Shallow Network Multi Sensory Transient Dynamic Critical Period

August 9, 2022

On the Importance of Critical Period in Multi-stage Reinforcement Learning
Junseok Park, Inwoo Hwang, Min Whoo Lee, Hyunseok Oh, Minsu Lee, Youngki Lee, Byoung-Tak Zhang
Reinforcement Learning Importance Aware Reward Shaping Neural Plasticity Cognitive Development Critical Period

January 12, 2022

Toddler-Guidance Learning: Impacts of Critical Period on Multimodal AI Agents
Junseok Park, Kwanyoung Park, Hyunseok Oh, Ganghun Lee, Minsu Lee, Youngki Lee, Byoung-Tak Zhang
Impact Assessment Multimodal Agent Cognitive Development Critical Period