Genie The Feral Child

Questions...

• Would you be able to take care of a child like Genie? If so what is a technique that you would use to help her further develop her linguistic abilities.

• Why do you think the researchers wanted to make Genie into essentially a guinea pig?

Conclusion!!!

• Genie was treated well at first, but when it became clear that there could be no “Miracle Worker” to help her learn to fully verbally communicate, the scientific community lost hope and interest.

• Their funding's dried up.

• Genie’s foster parents, no longer generating scientific data, passed her on to another foster home.

• Genie was clearly exploited by her caretakers for their own means, which is evident in the custody battles over her (before, but not after, there was scientific funding available to study her).

• Researchers are not allowed to have contact with Genie anymore following a long fight involving Genies real mother, Dorothy Irene Wiley.

• This fight was about not wanting Genie to be put through anymore research experiments.

• A unique opportunity to study an abnormal / irregular individual can bring out the worst in psychologists.

Works Cited

Nature vs. Nurture!!!

• “The Heartbreaking Story Of Genie, A Feral Child Who Will Never Learn To

Communicate”.2015.1 March 2015.<www.businessinsider.com>.

• “Genie”.2015.1 March 2015.<http://psychology.about.com>.

• "The Horrific Story of ‘Genie': the Feral Child Who Suffered at the Hands of Her Sadistic

Father”.2015.2 March 2015.<http://firsttoknow.com>.

• Nature is inherited and nurture relates to the outside influences while raising a child.

• Genie Wiley was a good example for Nature vs. Nurture.

• Researchers were trying to discover if speech was something developed, which is a development under nurture or if speech was something built into us which is a development under nature.

Was it Science or Something More???

Neuroscience

Genie having no human contact except for when she was being beaten by her father did not have the chance to develop her language skills, nor did she get to hear any form of proper language thus limiting her language to a mere “stopit” and “nomore.”

• Eric Lenneberg's theory about a child not being able to develop a language after a critical period is related to neuroscience.

• In which it clearly shows in a child's brain just how easy it could be shaped, if a child lives through isolation, extreme neglect and abusive conditions.

• The longer the neglect and abuse continues, some parts of the brain which requires human contact and language to develop will fails and slowly dies.

Genie The Feral Child

Where is Genie Now???

• Genie is now living some where in LA.

• She would be in her 60’s by now.

• Genie was passed around through foster homes until she became a ward of the state, how was Genie supposed to learn if no one was willing to help her long term.

By, Rubab Kamran & Chelsea Phengchanh

Child Found!!!

• Genie was eventually found in 1970.

• At that time she was 13 ½ years old.

• She was still in diapers and was barely able to walk or speak.

• She was malnourished and looked to be about 6-8 years old in size.

Who is Genie???

Genie's Family

Her Parents:

• Clark Wiley, Genie's Father never wanted kids, and he also suffered from a mental illness.

• Together Clark and Dorothy had 2 children prior to Genie and John, her brother but Clark neglected them.

• One died while chocking on mucus and the other died because Clark had put the baby into a dresser in the garage.

• Genies parents were arrested when people heard about her state of well being.

• While awaiting their court dates, Clark committed suicide.

• Dorothy was cleared and released considering she was nearly blind and being manipulated and beaten by Clark.

Her Brother John Wiley:

• He was older then Genie.

• He ran away from home to live with a friend to get away from his fathers abuse.

• John was scared of his father, Clark who slept in a chair with a gun on his lap.

• He was scared that he would anger his father if he left to seek help.

• Susan "Genie" Wiley ("we will now refer to her as Genie")was born in LA, California.

• Her Parents; Clark Wiley and Dorothy Irene Wiley.

• At birth Genie's father thought she was mentally ill, so he insisted she be kept isolated.

• He did not allow her mother or brother to see her, they were ordered to keep away.

• She was kept in a dark room with a crib that had chicken wire covering the top of it securing it and a potty chair.

• She spent her days strapped to her potty chair.

• At night she was moved and strapped into her crib.

• Occasionally her father acted like a dog, her barked and bared his teeth at her to intimidate and scare her. This was the only interactions she had with her father other than him beating her if she made a noise or cried.

• Genie spent more then 10 years like this.

"The Bunny Walk"