The Role of Immaturity in Human Development

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The prolonged juvenile period provides humans with the physical, social, and cognitive capabilities that are unmatched to any other species. The slow maturation process allows the human species to live longer and live smarter than any other mammal of comparable body size, and is the mechanism responsible for producing modern day humans. Immaturity has resulted in many benefits to the human species and can be directly linked as a product of evolution.

The extended period of physical immaturity serves helpful purposes for the human species. The limited motor capabilities that are endured by infants and young children make the child more dependent on the caregivers, and as a result this prevents the infants from wandering far from the caregiver. The extended period of physical immaturity serves as a survival advantage in that a child will remain close to his/her caregiver due to necessity. A specific physical immaturity that signifies the benefit of depending on caregivers for an extended period of time is the presence of baby teeth at the age of 7. Children are still ...

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