**5. Applied considerations**

With respect to ontogenetic development of sexual dimorphism in individuals, the effects of sex-steroids are commonly discussed using the "organizational" vs. "activational" nomenclature (Phoenix et al. 1959b; a; Arnold & Breedlove 1985). For a given structure, "organizational" typically refers to effects of sex-steroid exposure during a critical time window in early development which determines the type of response or morphology that the affected structure will have. "Activational" refers to acute effects of sex-steroids on the structure after the critical window during which the structure was organized (Whalen & Edwards 1967). The type of activation is dependent on the organizational effect that occurred during the critical window of development (Guillette et al. 1995).
