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TEXT: The science of Psychology 3 by Laura A. King ISBN 978-1-259-34571-5/ MHID 1-259-34571-8
In chapter 8, you learned about language. In conjunction with this lesson, Watch The Videos on YOUTUBE
Secret of the Wild Child part 1 AND
Secret of the Wild Child part 2Please write a brief reaction to the story of Genie. Name at least two (2) principles of language that are illustrated in her case.
| Subject | Psychology | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Psychology: Reflection Paper
Biological factors and the environment under which a child grows greatly influence his/her language development. Genie was a wild child, unable to walk, talk, or make noise. She grew up in severe isolation with virtually no human contact, that she never learnt even how to talk. She was completely restrained and forced to sit alone day and night. Her parents were charged with child abuse. She was forbidden from making noise and had not learned to vocalize. The scientist measured the electrical activity in her brain while she slept and found unusually high number of sleep spindles indicating abnormal brain wave pattern. Her father kept her isolated on the assumption that she was retarded.
The isolated environment under which Genie was kept greatly contributed to her inability to talk and walk. There was nothing to imitate, to no one to motivate and teach her. She was all by herself. From a behavioral perspective, rapid development of language occurs when operant conditioning is combined with imitation. For instance, a child learning to repeat words after the parents, responding to smiles, hugs and giving attention to sound of words. Genie was denied this privilege and that contributed to her inability to learn to speak.
Language development also has a strong link to social interactions, thus biological factors play a big role in a child’s language development. Social skills facilitate the ability of a child to grasp a language. Parents or caregivers who pay attention to their children’s language development tends to give support whenever the children attempt to speak.
Genie received celebrity study as her case attracted many scientists. When her social environment was enlightened and no longer isolate d, she started showing signs of improvement. On one occasion, she expressed sadness when one of the scientists departed from her. She was beginning to talk and said the word ‘doctor’. The doctors concluded that if Genie had the capacity to learn, she would get better.
From Genie’s story, it is evident that biological and environmental influences have far-reaching effects on a child’s language development capability. Children who interact more and are spoken to more learn faster than those living in isolated environment.
References
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King L. (2014). The science of Psychology, (3rd ed.). New York, San Francisco. Secret of the Wild Child part 1, (n.d). Retrievd on 10th of November, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEnkY2iaKis Secret of the Wild Child part 2 (n.d). Retrievd on 10th of November, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqqanfbK1H0
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