Genie, a victim of severe child abuse and neglect, did not begin to learn to speak until she was almost 14 years old. Though she developed language, she was never able to speak as fluently or with as much vocabulary as a child who was not subjected to neglect and social isolation. This case gives evidence for which type of development?
Explanation
Answer: D - Though Genie was able to develop language, her language was never as fluent and did not have as much vocabulary as normally developed children, giving evidence for a critical period of language.
In development, critical periods are stages where it is important to acquire skill. Failure to acquire this skill by the critical period can influence later development. Often the skill will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to acquire.
