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The Case of Genie - Activity

Genie was a child who was severely abused and isolated from all social contact and stimulation from the age of 20 months until she was rescued at age 13. As a result of this isolation and abuse, Genie was unable to speak or understand language when rescued. While she learned hundreds of words through intensive therapy, Genie was never able to fully master grammar, vocal control, or pronouns due to passing a critical window for language acquisition during her isolation. The case of Genie provides evidence that there is an important window early in life for learning language skills.

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Micah Milson
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98 views1 page

The Case of Genie - Activity

Genie was a child who was severely abused and isolated from all social contact and stimulation from the age of 20 months until she was rescued at age 13. As a result of this isolation and abuse, Genie was unable to speak or understand language when rescued. While she learned hundreds of words through intensive therapy, Genie was never able to fully master grammar, vocal control, or pronouns due to passing a critical window for language acquisition during her isolation. The case of Genie provides evidence that there is an important window early in life for learning language skills.

Uploaded by

Micah Milson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Case of Genie (“The Wild Child”)

Unit IV - Human Growth and Development (Ch.3, 4, & 5)


***Please note, the article and video describes circumstances dealing with child abuse. If this
topic is too difficult for you to work through, please let me know and I will assign you something
different. ~ Mr. Lynch

1) Read the Ch.3 Case Study from your textbook on Genie, found HERE.
2) Answer the following questions from the reading below:
a) Why, when found, was Genie unable to speak coherently or understand
language?
Genie had never learned any or heard any language due to her isolation from others and
any form of stimulation.

b) Describe Genie’s ability to learn to use language properly. How much progress in
language did Genie make? Explain.
Genie learned a lot about language in the years of development with the psychologists,
however, her signs of progress halted right at that point. Genie’s brain couldn’t
comprehend rules of grammar, control her vocal pitch or correctly use pronouns.

c) What conclusions can you draw from this case study about a window of
opportunity to learn language? Are the results conclusive? Explain.
There most certainly is a window of opportunity for language learning. Though Genie
could learn hundreds of words throughout her years of linguistics training, she far
exceeded the phase in which she would be capable of constructing those words into
comprehensible sentences and using proper grammar.

3) Watch the TLC Documentary on Genie by following this LINK.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjZolHCrC8E
4) Answer the following questions related to the documentary:
a) What were some of the underlying circumstances that led to Genie’s
mistreatment?
Clark Wiley, Genie’s father, had recently lost his mother to a hit-and-run accident which
encouraged him to sever himself off from the world.

b) What useful information can psychologists learn from unfortunate circumstances


like what we see with Genie?
What scientists can further understand is the effects of neglect on the human brain.

c) What questions do you have regarding this situation?


How does this theory of brain decay work in children with social anxiety or social
aversion issues? Do they experience minor brain decay not as significant as neglected
children? Also, for humans raised by wild animals, do they learn the language of those
animals? Would finding a Taran be possible?

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