Kim heard her grandmother speak Mandarin from the time she was born.Her adopted brother never heard Mandarin as a baby or as a child.As Kim grows up,she is more likely than her adopted brother to produce native sounds in Mandarin.This illustrates which of the three ongoing debates surrounding development?

Question

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The scenario presented in the question illustrates the ongoing debate surrounding critical versus sensitive periods, which is the idea that there are specific windows of time during development when certain abilities or skills must be learned or else they will not develop properly. Kim's exposure to Mandarin from birth may have allowed her to develop the necessary neural pathways to produce native Mandarin sounds, while her adopted brother, who did not have the same exposure, may have missed out on this critical period for language development.

Kim Heard Her Grandmother Speak Mandarin from the Time She