Genie (feral child)

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/genie--feral-child-

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Genie (feral child) born?1957
2. Who discovered Genie (feral child)?13 years and 7 months
3. What is the scientific significance?Provided crucial data for testing the critical period hypothesis in language acquisition
4. Who was Genie?Genie was a girl born in 1957 who lived most of her early life in a small room and didn't hear words until she was 13.
5. Why didn't Genie learn to talk until she was 13?She was kept alone in a small room from about 20 months old, with no people to talk to, so she never heard spoken language during the years when children usually learn to talk.

Feral Child: An individual, typically a child, who has lived in extreme isolation from human society, often in the wild, and consequently lacks typical social and linguistic development.
Language Acquisition: The complex, innate process by which humans learn to understand and use language, with early childhood being a period of heightened sensitivity.
Critical Period Hypothesis: A theory proposing that there is a specific, limited timeframe in early development during which language acquisition is most efficient and successful.
Social Deprivation: The condition of lacking adequate social interaction, stimulation, and relationships, which can severely impair psychological and cognitive development.