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Secret of the Wild Child
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Program Overview
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Note: This program contains difficult emotional issues.
Teachers may want to preview the program before assigning it to
students.
In the fall of 1970, social workers took custody of a 13-year-old
child who had spent much of her life chained to a potty chair in her
bedroom. She could not speak, walk, or respond to other people. She
was called "Genie." Her case attracted psychologists who were
interested in finding out whether she could still learn to speak. At
the time, some linguists, led by MIT's Noam Chomsky, believed that
human speech is a genetically programmed ability. Eric Lenneberg, a
neuropsychologist, agreed with Chomsky and added further that if a
person did not learn to speak by adolescence, then the natural
ability to learn language might be lost forever. This theory was the
so-called "critical period hypothesis."
Although Genie's situation was one that scientists would never
create intentionally to test their theories, her unfortunate
circumstances made her a prime candidate for experimentation. Genie
was past puberty. If she could still learn language, it would cast
doubt on the critical period hypothesis. Ultimately, Genie's
caretakers were criticized for combining their research with her
treatment.
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