The Case Study Of Genie
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This presentation is about the case of Genie, a 13-year-old girl found in 1970 with severe disabilities because of the level of neglect and abuse she endured.
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The Case Study Of Genie
- 1. Douglas, H., Hanyzewski, A., Loepke, D ., Pavlick, M., and Watson, B.
- 2. •Social Interaction •Nurturing •Motor Skills •Cognitive Abilities •Emotional Development
- 3. •Prefrontal Cortex •Left & Right Hemispheres •Language Ability •Innate desire to communicate
- 4. • Intuition • Imagination • Creative Thinking • Color
- 5. • Central Nervous System damage • Disconnected from bodily functions • Anxiety, Rage • Poor Speech
- 6. • Full-time supervision • Speech deficits • Language problems • Emotional Development
- 7. • Increase muscle tone • Increase vocabulary and communication • Increase positive behavior
- 9. • Georgetown University. (n.d.). High School Bioethics Curriculum. Case 4 Genie, The Wild Child Research or Exploitation? Retrieved from highschoolbioethics.georgetown.edu/units/cases /unit3_4.html • Kasper, Loretta F. (1997). The Civilizing of Genie. Teaching English through the Disciplines: Psychology. • Pinel, J. P.J. (2009). Biopsychology. Pearson Education. • Sashami12390 (2010, May). Genie: An Extreme Case of Socio-Emotional Privation [Video file]. Retrieved from You Tube website: youtube.com/watch?v=thlDCL3NCIQ
Editor's Notes
- The case of Genie Wiley is a remarkable case of a young child who endured severe neglect, abuse, malnutrition, isolation, and deprivation from her family. With no apparent language skills, motor reflexes, or cognitive abilities; Genie was subjected to science experiments and ongoing testing of her abilities. Although treatment for Genie required full-time supervision, many people wanted to help her succeed. As Genie learned new ways of interacting with the world around her, Genie’s verbal communication increased. Genie was thriving in a new world; her quest for knowledge and thirst for attention made Genie a prize candidate for neuroscience research. However, when funding ceased, so was the care of Genie. Enduring more abuse in several foster homes, she reverted inward to never speak again. Lawsuits were filed and money was exchanged in the name of science. To understand the capabilities of the human mind is to understand the soul.
- The worst case of social isolation occurred in California with a little girl called Genie (not her real name). The case of Genie was found November 1970, by the social services office in Temple City, California, when Genie’s nearly blind mother and maternal grandmother applied for financial assistance. The authorities found Genie tied to a potty chair, naked, with no external stimulation, the walls were bare, and she had no outside contact with people. Weighing only 62 pounds at the age of 13, Genie could not speak, only to bark like a dog. Also she could not stand erect. Genie was socially and emotionally deprived for the first 13 years of her life. Deprivation consists of lacking nurturing to develop sensory, motor, and cognitive abilities. Lacking emotional development of behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and expressions; Genie had no knowledge of self-identity, social skills, or interaction with relationships. Genie was taken to the Children’s Hospital for evaluation; this was the first opportunity to research language development and everyone wanted to become involved. Language development was believed to be acquired from both nature and nurture experiences. Some believed puberty was too late for language to develop.
- While staying in Children’s Hospital, Genie was winning over the hearts and minds of doctors, psychologists, psychotherapists, linguistics, and neurologists. A scientific project was developed on the proper treatment of Genie. Treatments for Genie were developed based on her abilities and brain development of the prefrontal cortex and the left and right hemispheres. The linguistics proposed a hypothesis of language development; puberty was too late in development to learn language. Others believe language is acquired from nature and nurture, with an innate desire to communicate with others. Entering uncharted territory, trying to prove a hypothesis, emerges the evidence of learning development in the brain far beyond the adolescent years.
- The prefrontal cortex plays a role in memory, planning sequenced events, inhibiting responses, and following behavior rules (Pinel, 2009). The left and right hemispheres in the prefrontal cortex can become deficient if neglect and abuse occur during early childhood, resulting in aphasia – the inability to comprehend or produce language. The left hemisphere is largely responsible for language abilities; however, cerebral dominance (one hemisphere takes over for the other) can occur if damage occurs. This seems to be the case for Genie; although she could not speak, Genie reached out to others with her eyes. The left hemisphere is responsible for logic, critical thinking, sequencing, and numbers. Testing Genie’s dichotic listening skills, the right ear score was well below normal range and her right ear score was fairly normal. The test shows Genie uses the right hemisphere instead of her left hemisphere to communicate. The right hemisphere controls intuition, imagination, creative thinking, color, and rhythm. Although Genie could not learn language skills for a person of her age, she was still learning new ways to communicate and experience the world through her own perception.
- Genie soon moved in with Jean Butler, a rehabilitation therapist at Children’s Hospital who had a fondness for Genie’s sense of curiosity of the world. Jean found Genie hording containers of liquid; this may be her way of combating the fear of hunger. Other behaviors were observed; Genie could not sense the difference in extreme temperature differences, probably because her central nervous system had deteriorated or stopped working all together. Genie was sensitive to sounds, such as dogs barking; she was likely connecting the barking dogs to the abuse from her father and brothers. Fearing excessive experimentation, David Riegler, a psychologist working with Genie, became the chief investigator of her case. Although Genie was disconnected from certain bodily functions, urinating and defecating all over the house, she was learning. Genie experienced silent storms of rage; flailing her arms, scratching. She was terrified of men wearing khaki pants; possibly a connection to her father’s clothing. Genie’s speech was poor, uttering words like a toddler; short phrases pronounced poorly.
- Although Riegler wanted to keep the experiments minimal, he knew it was also important for the research of science to gather information on her behavior and learning capabilities. Evaluation of Genie reveled deficits in her speech, language, and emotional development. As chief investigator, psychologist, and foster parent of Genie, Riegler made attempts at balancing the fine line of science development and child development. It was determined that Genie would need full-time supervision. The National Institute of Mental Health funded the research of Genie and her care in Riegler’s home on the condition that success of treatments could be proven effective.
- Physical therapy was needed to strengthen her muscles, teach her to walk, and become active after the many years of restriction of her movement. Speech therapists were involved in helping Genie increase her vocabulary skills and non-verbal communication skills. Genie explored her new environment with curiosity and her own language. She began to form relationships and began repeating words. She was learning how to communicate her anger by waving her hand with a finger in the air, representing the level of anger she was feeling. As her verbal communication increased, Genie could describe past events of things that happened at a time before she knew language. She had her own words for her emotions, colors, and shapes. Attending a nursery school and institute for the deaf, Genie was learning how to interact with the world.
- Ferel children are those children raised without any human connection and only respond to therapy that reiterates, redirects, and reassures human contact and interaction. In fall 1974, the National Institute of Mental Health would no longer fund the treatments and therapies provided for Genie’s success. Information on Genie’s improvements were not collected or reported in a scientific manner. The Riegler’s ended their foster care of Genie, and she returned to live with her mother in 1975. However, her mother found it difficult to care for Genie, so she was placed in a series of foster homes. Genie was subjected to abuse, punishment, and harassment; Genie was severely punished after an episode of vomiting. Genie’s mother filed a lawsuit against the therapists, doctors, and hospitals for the maltreatment of Genie by outrageous testing procedures. The lawsuit was settled and Genie, never to speak again, is living in a facility with other developmentally disabled adults in southern California. She is 59 years old and has since regressed into herself, shutting out the world. This case shows that children need constant care, love, and attention so their brains develop correctly. If the child is malnourished, neglected, or abused during infancy and adolescent years, this can effect the development of the brain. However, learning is still a possibility after the adolescent years. Genie was a remarkable girl who used non-verbal communication to connect with others. The doctors, therapists, and foster parents took advantage of Genie by giving up on her because she did not make progress the way the professionals saw fit. She was again neglected, abused, and left to suffer in silence by those who tried to help her. Early prevention of child abuse and neglect can prevent damage to the brain. Consistent treatment is important for stimulation of the brain and growth in development.
- ReferencesGeorgetown University. (n.d.). High School Bioethics Curriculum. Case 4 Genie, The Wild Child Research or Exploitation? Retrieved from highschoolbioethics.georgetown.edu/units/cases/unit3_4.htmlKasper, Loretta F. (1997). The Civilizing of Genie. Teaching English through the Disciplines: Psychology.Pinel, J. P.J. (2009). Biopsychology. Pearson Education.Sashami12390 (2010, May). Genie: An Extreme Case of Socio-Emotional Privation [Video file]. Retrieved from You Tube website: youtube.com/watch?v=thlDCL3NCIQPhoto Referencesblog.lib.umn.edubrit-michele.blogspot.comemptykingdom.comeugenekitfung.wordpress.comipukerainbowsbetch.tumblr.comstateintervention.comipukerainbowsbetch.tumblr.comthecollaboratory.wikidot.comwarmwire.blogspot.com