Children in middle childhood are better able to change their speech in response to the needs of listeners because they are more ______.

A) likely to be reinforced for speaking correctly
B) attuned to modeling adult speech
C) cognitively developed in perspective-taking skills
D) exposed to language differences in reading

Perspective-taking skills refer to the ability to understand and take into account the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of another person. This ability to consider another person's perspective is important when choosing appropriate language to use when communicating with others. Children in middle childhood are more cognitively developed in perspective-taking skills, which enables them to adapt their communication to the needs of different listeners.