Reference no: EM133250356

1. What were the scientists who worked with Genie trying to prove?

2. What is the "forbidden experiment" and how was the discovery in 1800 of Victor in France a model of that kind of experiment?

3. Explain the "critical period" hypothesis of language acquisition.

4. Was there an inherent conflict between the goals of research and Genie's need to receive treatment and care? Why or why not? What, if anything, could have been done differently so that both science and the stability and welfare of Genie could have been served?

5. Have you ever tried to communicate with someone who could not speak English and whose language you could not speak? How did you establish communication? Could you figure out patterns of words in the other language that you could use to make the interaction work? What was the most rewarding part? The most frustrating?

6. When a family incorporates a new member-foster child, adopted child, relative, newborn baby, other-changes are felt by all persons. What sorts of changes might children have experienced with Genie in the house?

7. How significant of a role did money play in what happened to Genie?

8. Who should give consent for experiments that are carried out on those, like Genie, who cannot give truly informed consent? Who should specifically be prevented from giving consent for such individuals?

9. Children raised in bilingual environments are often slower to speak than those who are raised in environments in which only one language is spoken. However, when they do speak, bilingual children keep each language separate and speak each language correctly. What insights does this provide about language acquisition? Do you think that bilingual children risk being misjudged intellectually when they are young? Why or why not?

10. Sometimes pathological behavior is triggered by personal traumas. That may have been the case for Genie's father. Shortly before he began imprisoning his children and his wife, his mother had been hit by a car and killed. This incident may have sparked a personality change
and his paranoia, which led to his abusive behavior toward his family members. Under the circumstances, how accountable should he be for what he did to Genie and the others and why?

11. What sorts of help should communities provide to individuals and families in which one member is acting in a way that is unhealthy for others? Where is the line between individual freedom and protecting the "larger society," which, in some instances, may just be the family?