Overview
This lecture explores the case of Genie, a girl who suffered extreme childhood isolation and abuse, and examines her subsequent rehabilitation and its implications for language development and psychology.
Discovery and Rescue of Genie
- Genie was discovered in 1970 by social workers after her mother accidentally entered the wrong welfare office.
- At age 13, Genie appeared much younger, was underweight, mute, incontinent, and had severe medical and developmental issues.
- Genie had been kept isolated in a dark room, restrained, and deprived of social, emotional, and sensory stimulation.
Background and Abuse
- Genie’s father, Clark Wiley, was deeply troubled by his own abusive upbringing and became increasingly paranoid and violent.
- Genie’s family lived in severe isolation, with Clark forbidding communication and abusing both his wife and children.
- Genie was kept restrained on a potty chair for most of her life, with minimal human interaction or stimulation.
- Clark committed suicide before trial; Irene, Genie's mother, was found to be a victim herself and was not charged.
Rehabilitation and Study
- Genie was made a ward of the state and became the subject of a major scientific study from 1971 to 1975, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.
- A multidisciplinary team worked on Genie's medical, psychological, and linguistic rehabilitation.
- Genie showed rapid progress in vocabulary, social skills, sign language, and some cognitive tasks, but struggled with grammar and sentence structure.
- Her case supported the critical period hypothesis: after puberty, acquiring complex grammar becomes extremely difficult.
Ethical Concerns and Later Life
- Researchers struggled between caring for Genie’s well-being and pursuing scientific knowledge.
- Genie lived with various team members, leading to conflicts of interest and ethical issues.
- Genie's progress halted after being placed in foster homes, and she regressed due to further mistreatment.
- Genie's later whereabouts are largely unknown; as of 2008, she was believed to be living in an assisted care facility.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Critical Period Hypothesis — theory that language must be acquired before puberty for full fluency.
- Social Isolation — lack of social interactions, leading to cognitive, emotional, and developmental deficits.
- Neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to reorganize and form new connections, especially during learning or after injury.
- Object Permanence — understanding that objects continue to exist even when not seen.
- Deferred Imitation — ability to reproduce a behavior observed at an earlier time.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the critical period hypothesis and its implications for language acquisition.
- Consider ethical issues in research involving vulnerable populations.
- Prepare questions on the effects of deprivation for class discussion.