Sensitive periods are characterized by rapid development of specific abilities during a narrow window.

• A. They are universal for all abilities
• B. They are biologically determined and allow rapid development of specific abilities
• C. They occur only after adolescence
• D. They are unaffected by experience

Answer: (B)

Sensitive periods are times when the brain is especially receptive to specific kinds of input, so certain abilities can develop rapidly within a narrow window. This rapid, targeted development has a biological basis: neural circuits for those abilities are more plastic during that time, and the experiences encountered during the window shape how efficiently those circuits wire up. So saying they are biologically determined and permit rapid development of specific abilities captures both the timing and the cause of the accelerated learning. For example, early language exposure or visual system development shows how experience during these windows profoundly influences outcomes. They are not universal for all abilities—different skills have different windows—and they do not occur only after adolescence. They are also not immune to experience; lacking appropriate input can blunt or alter the development that would otherwise occur in the window.