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Development (continued). Learning Objectives. 1. Define the term “wild child” 2. Explain theories of language development. Discuss how neglect and social isolation affect cognitive (mental) and physical development.
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Learning Objectives 1. Define the term “wild child” 2. Explain theories of language development. • Discuss how neglect and social isolation affect cognitive (mental) and physical development. • Evaluate the roles of nature (heredity) and nurture (experiences) in development. Key Terms: wild (feral) child; abuse; nature vs. nurture debate; language acquisition device; babbling stage; one-word stage; two-word stage; Eric Lenneberg; Noam Chomsky; critical period; plasticity
Definition Feral Child – a child who has lived in isolation starting at a very young age and thereby has remained unaware of human behavior and language
Feral Children • Victor – (early 1800s) The wild boy of Aveyron. Found in the woods at about 11 or 12. He was probably partially mentally retarded. He never learned to use language. • Isabelle – Found at 6 (1947). In two months she was combining words. Within a year she had similar language to other 7 year olds. • Genie – (1970) 13 year old girl had lived whole life in total isolation in her home. She may or may not have been of normal intelligence but never able to acquire language.
Victor – The Wild Boy of Aveyron • Captured in January 1800 • Estimated to be about 10 years old • His desires did not go beyond his physical needs • He could not speak or understand human language • He preferred raw food and ripped of any clothes that were put on him
Victor - The Wild Boy of Aveyron • Diagnosed as an “incurable idiot” • Put through numerous tests (psychological and physiological) • Made small progress in social behavior • Never learned to speak or understand human language
Isabelle • An illegitimate child she had been kept in isolation by her grandfather and fed by her deaf-mute mother (who communicated with her through gestures) • Found 1938 at the age of 6 in Ohio • Made Astonishing progress: Day 1 -> first vocalizationafter 2 months -> putting sentences together11 months-> able to identify written words, to add to ten and to retell a story18 months -> able to ask complicated questions; vocabulary of about 1,500 – 2,000 words Reached a normal mentality by the age of eight and a half years Covered in 2 years the usual stages of learning- that ordinarily requires six!
Genie Characteristics: Weight- 59 pounds Height- 54 inches Incontinent Unable to chew Barely able to swallow Unable to focus her eyes beyond 12 feet Unable to cry Could not fully extend her arms or legs Could not tell the difference between hot and cold Spoke very little. “Stopit”, “Nomore”, and other negative She only understood about 20 words
Genie • From the age of 20 months, she lived in nearly total isolation. For 11 years Genie was harnessed naked all day long to a toddler's potty seat At night, with her arms restrained, she slept in a sleeping bag inside a "crib-cage" made of wire and wood. • Whenever Genie made noise, her father would bark like a ferocious dog or beat her. • Her 'toys' were cottage cheese containers, two plastic raincoats, & threadless spools of thread, • Found in November 1970 in California, at 13 years of age she could not stand erect and was unable to speak except 2 words: “Stopit“, “Nomore“ • 1971: her language resembled that of a normal 18-20 months old child (one year after her discovery) two-word utterances, EX. “Want milk.“, “Big teeth“ • But: NO vocabulary explosion after 18-20 months • Could not formulate questions,EX “Where is may I have a penny?“ “I where is graham cracker on the top shelf?“ • Present condition: speech development is not perfect, but she can say most things she wants; lives in an adult foster home in California
Children raised by animals Kamala and Amala • The “wolf children“ Kamala (8y.) and Amala (2y.) had been living with a family of wolves in a cave in a jungle in India • In 1920, they were discovered in Midnapore, by a missionary who took charge of them • Preferred to sit in the darkest corner of their room • Fingers and toes were deformed, they were not able to stand upright • snarled at other kids and cried like wolves • Amala died in September 1921 • Within 5 years Kamala had a vocabulary of more than 40 words: “ha“ (yes), “hoo“ (cold); she was also able to name objects • 1929: Kamala died
Children raised by animals Oxana Malaya • At the age of 3, her alcoholic parents left her neglected daughter outside one night and she crawled into a hovel where the family kept dogs • Between the ages of 3 and 8, she lived with the dogs in a kennel of the back garden of her family home • In 1991, the “dog child“ was found in Ukraine, barking and crawling on all fours • At an orphanage school, she was taught to walk upright, to eat with her hands and to acquire language; • 2006: at the age of 23, she is able to speak, but there is no cadence or rhythm or inflection to her speech; she can count but not add
How do people learn to speak a language? • One theory, called the Environmentalist Hypothesis, holds that people learn language through their interactions with others, especially from hearing their parents speak. • Another is that individuals are born with the rules for language ingrained in them (called nativist theory of language. Noam Chomsky theorized humans are born with a language acquisition device LAD • A third proposal, the Critical-Period Hypothesis, states that people must learn language within a critical period during early development if they are ever to comprehend and master the structure of language (Eric Lenneberg)
The Critical Period Hypothesis(Lenneberg, 1967) • Before age 2, language acquisition is not possible because the brain is not sufficiently mature • After puberty, natural language acquisition is not obtainable because the brain is mature, mental functions is complete and brain plasticity is lost • In order to acquire language, there are two necessary requirements:1. a human brain2. sufficient exposure to language during this critical period between the age of 2 years and puberty
LanguageNature vs. Nuture So the main question for Genie’s case: Was she mentally disabled from birth? (nature) Or was she deprived of language after her ‘critical period’? (nurture)
Was Genie Mentally Disabled From Birth? Susan Curtiss: Genie, although functionally retarded because she had hardly lived and experienced the world around her, was not mentally deficient in any sense in which we typically think of as mentally deficient.
Conclusion • Some feral children acquire normal language ability, but only if found before the onset of puberty(EX. Isabelle) • Other feral children never master the rules of grammar and syntax • Unless children are exposed to language in the critical period, they lose much of their innate ability to learn a language and especially its grammatical principles • The Critical Period Hypothesis is not proven, but it is strongly supported!
Secret of a Wild ChildViewing Guide Focus Questions Can a loving environment reverse years of abuse and neglect? Do people learn language from their environment or are they born with an innate ability to speak (Nature vs. Nurture debate) If a person has not acquired language by the age of 13, can they learn to speak?
Copy the following questions. Skip 3-4 lines for your answer. Turn in for a grade. • 1. Explain the concept of a “wild child”. • 2. What kinds of scientific study/research opportunities does discovering a wild child offer? • 3. Describe the abuse Genie suffered. Who were her abusers? • 4. At the age of 13 why can’t she talk? • 5. Who was Victor? How does the story of Victor relate to Genie? • 6. Why was Genie’s case so important to language researchers? • 7. Describe Genie’s treatment and progress? • 8. Who do you think should get custody of Genie? Who really cares about Genie?
9. What happened to Genie when the Rigler's grant money ran out? • 10. Was Genie’s brain damaged from years of abuse or was she born that way? • 11. How do you feel about the court’s decision to return Genie to her mother’s care? About her mother’s lawsuit? • 12. In your opinion is this a sad or an inspiring story? EXPLAIN. • 13. Where is Genie today? • 14. Why would an experiment like Genie’s never be repeated?
Who was the scientist in charge of studying Genies's language development? • Eric Lennenburg • Noam Chomsky • Susan Curtiss • David Rigler • The idea that principles of language are innate (i.e. genetically transmitted) was proposed by: • Noam Chomsky • Susan Curtiss • Eric Lennerburg • B.F. Skinner
Genie's language therapists switched to teaching her sign language because: • She refused to use her voice • Her parents had used some sign language with her • She had difficulty producing speech sounds • She had started to use gestures on her own In the end, the scientist involved in evaluating Genie concluded that she: • Had learned some vocabulary, but had very abnormal language • Would make more progress with sign language than with spoken language • Could not learn language due to the possible mental retardation • Would continue to learn language, but it would occur slowly
Genie, her nearly blind mother, and her elderly grandmother disturbed the social worker. The three had come into the Social Welfare office in Temple City, California, to learn about resources for the blind. The date was November 1970. The social worker noticed that the "small withered girl" had "a halting gait" and "hands held up as though resting on an invisible rail," which gave her a curious, unnaturally stooped posture. The girl was so tiny that the social worker estimated she might be six or seven years old. She suspected the child might be autistic. But Genie was actually thirteen and had been in solitary confinement since she was two years old. Her 'jailer' was her father.
In the next few weeks, Genie's story came to light, and, shortly after it did, Genie's father killed himself. The father had locked Genie up to protect her from what he considered the dangers of the outside world. During those 11 years, Genie was harnessed naked all day long to a toddler's potty seat. At night, with her arms restrained, she slept in a sleeping bag inside a "crib-cage" made of wire and wood. Whenever Genie made noise, her father would bark like a ferocious dog or beat her.
Genie ate baby food, cereals, and soft-boiled eggs, all of which were fed to her. Her 'toys' were cottage cheese containers, two plastic raincoats, threadless spools of thread, and copies of TV Guide stripped of illustrations. Her bedroom walls were bare. She had no books, no radio, no television. The only words addressed to her were angry ones. She could say "stopit," "nomore," "no," and a few other negative words. At age 13, she understood only 20 words.
Genie's father also kept his wife and son, who was a few years older than Genie, captive. He rarely permitted them to speak or to go outside. Sometimes, he sat all day with a loaded shotgun in his lap. Through a cracked-open window in her room, Genie may have heard airplanes overhead or faint piano music drifting from a neighbor's house. Two inches of sky and the side of a neighbor's house were all that she could see through the top of the covered glass.
