Genie Discovered: Feral Child Raises Science Questions
California social workers discovered Genie on November 4, 1970, a 13-year-old girl who had spent virtually her entire life locked in a small room, strapped to a potty chair during the day and caged in a crib at night. Her father, Clark Wiley, beat anyone in the household who spoke to her. She could not walk, speak, or chew solid food. Linguists at UCLA saw a unique opportunity to study whether language acquisition had a critical period. Genie learned vocabulary rapidly but never mastered grammar, supporting the hypothesis. The ethical controversy was fierce: were scientists helping her or exploiting her? Federal funding was cut in 1975. Genie bounced between foster homes where she was abused, and regressed. She spent the rest of her life in institutional care in California. Her father killed himself before going to trial.
November 4, 1970
56 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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