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Geniie Willey The Feral Child Case Study

767 Words4 Pages

Through extensive research within the field of neurolinguistics, scientist and linguists have discovered how the brain works, and how this can be stimulated through an essential element, such as social interaction, in order to develop the intricate system of verbal communication. This essay is intended to discuss the role of the human brain in the development of language as well as the connection with a critical period for its acquisition taking into consideration the case study of Genie Willey, the feral child. To start with, it is paramount to understand how the brain divides its functions, which at the same time corresponds to the physical division of the organ itself. Being divided into two hemispheres and connected by the corpus callosum, each hemisphere is specialized in the performance of specific functions. Generally speaking, while the right hemisphere is in charge of the execution of intuition, creativity, imagination, artistic awareness and holistic thought, the left side is responsible for logic, reasoning, analytic thought, science and maths, number skills and most importantly for our study, language. Lateralization of language in the left hemisphere starts in early childhood, around the second year of life, and it is …show more content…

The unfortunate story of the feral child, Genie Willey, is one of those striking events that gave scientist the opportunity to confirm some of the theories which were under the spotlight for many years. Found in the 1970s in Los Angeles, California, at the age of thirteen years old, Genie (name chosen to protect the child’s real identity), was discovered in a state of complete isolation from the outside world. Consequently, this state of isolation resulted in the child’s inability to verbally communicate, hence affecting her cognitive

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After her petition to become her foster mother was denied, Genie moved in with Rigler and his family, where it is believed she made some successful breakthroughs in learning to draw, sew, study sign language, and take part in speech therapy. Curtiss would frequently take Genie outside and expose her to the world. After four years, the Riglers’ could no longer care of Genie because the grant used to take care of her ran out. The funding was not supplemented again, and Genie then moved to several foster homes, and even lived with her mother for a short period. The foster homes were often abusive, a seemingly common theme in Genie’s life, which regressed Genie’s development.

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The author, Russ Rymer, brilliantly tells us the melancholy story of a little girl named Genie who endured much pain and misery throughout her early life. Genie is not her real name, but her scientific alias. Genie suffered through a horrific childhood being beaten and isolated from the world. She had a mother and a father. Her father, Clark, was very abusive to Genie and caused her a lot of pain.

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777 Words | 4 Pages

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799 Words | 4 Pages

The reason why Genie's case was so fascinating to psychologists and linguists was that it presented a unique opportunity. They were able to study a hotly contested debate about language development and human growth. Nativists believe that the capacity for language is something that is done naturally. Empiricists think that it is the environment that someone is in plays a key role in human development.

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While isolated, Genie had no sense of self, had no ideas of social norms and her only agents of socialization were her parents. While under the care of the hospital and others, she was able to learn and express herself in ways that she was never allowed to before. Finally, able to speak, Genie became able to pronounce simple words. After years of learning, Genie has never been able to fully communicate and has never grasped using questions and sentences. Genie’s influences and insights are accurately described by the sociological concepts

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