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Irene Genie’s Mother
Atlus, OK
Felt she had 2 sets of parents – Mamaw an Dadaw
Close to her mother
Drought
Move to Southern California
Father found job at filling station, little hope for kids
Non-traditional solution to poverty
Marriage and Kids Early years appeared to be happy
Clark was jealous and overprotective
“My life came to an end on my wedding day” – Irene
Clark didn’t want kids
Four children – only 2 survived
Child 1
Irene beat during pregnancy
Crying infuriated Clark
Died at 2.5 months
Child 2 - RH blood poisoning
Child 3
Healthy boy
Development hindered – Neglect
Saved by paternal grandmother
Child 4 – Genie
RH blood poisoning
Development hindered
Clark’s Mother
Clark was largely attached to his mother, despite not being there during childhood.
Supported him until he got job as a machinist
Irene thought she was making a pest of herself
December 1958 – The Accident. Clark’s mother got hit by a car while crossing the street with her grandson to buy an ice cream cone.
Afterwards, Clark started to change and was severely depressed
A world without his mother, a world that did not care to adequately punish his mother’s murderer, was a world he could live without
Clark quit job and moved his family into his mother’s house
Home Life
Irene was largely dependent on Clark because of her blindness
Son was allowed outside of house for very little
Sleeping arrangements – living room
Clark dreaded people taking advantage of his daughter
Pediatrician pronounced her “a retarded little girl with kernicterus”
Clark believed his daughter was profoundly retarded and needed protection from evil of the world
Genie’s Home Life
Confined to a small bedroom in back of house, harnessed to an infant’s potty seat
Left to sit on a chair – unable to move her fingers, hands, feet, or toes
At night, placed in sleeping bag which was stationed to hold her arms stationary and placed in a crib with wire mesh sides and a wire mesh cover on top
Little auditory stimulation – no TV or radio.
Wasn’t allowed to make any noises
Genie’s Home Life cnt. Little to look at or touch – no carpet or pictures in room, windows
covered
“Entertainment”
Two raincoats, “Partly Edited” copies of TV log, Cottage Cheese containe, Spool of thread
Diet
Baby foods, Cereal, Soft boiled egg
Clark was convinced she’d die before 12
Promised Irene she could seek help for Genie if she lived past 12
Found Irene was searching for office of “Service for Blind” but accidentally
stumbled into the general social services office
90% blind in left eye and 100% blind in right eye
Social worker originally thought Genie was autistic
Genie’s condition when found
50 lbs
Incontinent – no control over urination/defecation
Couldn’t chew solid food/could hardly swallow
Couldn’t focus eyes beyond 12 feet
Salivated constantly
Had almost 2 complete sets of teeth
Showed no perception of heat/cold
Couldn’t do anything requiring full extension of legs (hop, skip, climb)
Vocab – probably less than 20 words
The Aftermath
Clark and Irene were arrested and charged with child abuse
Admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Clark committed suicide on the court date
He left 2 notes – nothing for his wife or daughter
For the police: “My son is out front with friends. He hasn’t the slightest idea of what is going to happen”
For his son: “Don’t take that shirt back. It’s for my funeral. You know where my blue shirt is. Underwear in hall closet. I love you. Good bye and be good – Dad”
Irene got off on a not guilty plea
New People in Genie’s Life
Susan Curtiss & Victoria Fromkin
Susan was a 1st year grad student in linguistics department studying language acquisition when her faculty advisor, Victoria Fromkin, invited her into the case
David Rigler
David was a professor of pediatrics and psychology at University of Southern California and the chief psychologist in the hospital’s psychiatric division
New People in Genie’s Life James Kent (top right)
One of the hospital psychologists who visited Genie the first day she arrived
“As far as I’m concerned Genie was the most profoundly damaged child I’ve ever seen”
Jay Shurley (bottom left)
One of the first outside consultants to visit Genie from Texas
Brought 600 lbs of equipment for investigating brain activity
Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLCqeYKPnpc:30 Bunny Walk5:40 Talking12:3019:10
Critical Period & Language Acquisition
Nature or Nurture
Noam Chomsky – Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
Eric Lenneberg – Critical Period
Genie’s Progress in the Hospital
Mental and physical abilities improved quickly
She seemed oblivious to the people fighting over her
After 2 weeks she was released to the hospital’s rehabilitation center
Starting to develop a sense of self
Starting to obtain speech
Showing remarkable progress on intelligence tests
May 1971 – consultants got together to consider her future under the terms of the NIMH contract
Therapy or Research? Opinions?
The Testing Begins
June 4, 1971 – Genie meets Curtis and Fromkin
New linguistic examinations
One of the most tested children in history
Genie spoke very little – whimpers or squeaks
The first publicly released picture of Genie, taken just after California authorities took control of her care at the age of 13.
Genie’s Summer with Jean Butler
Jean volunteered to take Genie on field trips
Jean developed Rubella
July 7 – “Isolation” Genie went to life with Jean
Genie was happy and progressing well
Dispute with the “Genie Team”
Jean – overprotective, restricting visits
Genie Team – ambitious and insensitive
Jean applied to be Genie’s foster parent
Genie with David and Marilyn Rigler
Genie’s new home – scientist on the case
3 children, a cat, golden retriever puppy
Genie was regressing
Grant money and funding
David Rigler released from work at hospital
More Progress at the Rigler’s
Curtiss visited daily
Uncooperative
Compressing sentences
“Monday Curtis come” = “Munkuh” – The Great Abbreviator
Verbally slow
Marilyn Rigler – unofficially in charge of teaching Genie how to behave
Taught Genie how to chew food
Enrolled in nursery school and later public school for the mentally retarded
Speech therapy and some sign language
“Genie Happy”
Anniversary of Genies arrival in foster home
Symposium – chaired by David Rigler
Howard Hansen – paper of Genies early life
James Kent – 8 months in hospital
Marilyn Rigler – the past year “Adventure: At Home with Genie”
Fromkin, Curtis, and Krashen – Genie’s language skills
Development indicated language acquisition can occur after 5 and the onset of puberty
Dubunk Eric Lenneberg’s theory?
Lenneberg had no interest in studying Genie
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association
Summary of Progress
Difference between singular and plural nouns
Difference between positive and negative sentences
Some prepositions
Understood yes/no questions
Somewhat use possessives
Summary of Progress Cnt. Normal children quickly learn how to form negative sentences – Genie
was stuck in the beginning stage for almost 3 years
Couldn’t ask a real question
Ex: “Where is may I have a penny?”
Problem with pronouns
“I” her favorite
“You” and “Me” were interchangeable
Skill leveled out almost immediately
Failures made many believe Genie was retarded
Curtis was not convinced – she was smart
She could categorize – some thought key to learning language
Advanced in mental age
“Being with Genie wasn’t like being with a retarded person. It was like being with a disturbed person. She was the most disturbed person I’d ever met. But the lights were on. There was somebody home.” - Curtiss
(7:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjZolHCrC8E#t=382
Video
Trips to Temple City
Most promising case of 20th century to perhaps one of the most tested children in history
NIMH found the lack of progress troubling
One year extension
Rigler applied for another grant
Application was denied
“Very little progress has been made”
“The research goals projected probably will not be realized”
On the “bright” side…
Without funds, Riglers would have to terminate their foster relationship with Genie
New Homes For Genie
Home to Irene
Irene found it difficult to live with her daughter
Riglers had some money to help – summer camp
November 7 – new foster home
Irene’s visits were seen as disruptions
Genie regressed – seemingly intentionally
Quit speaking – fear of vomiting
At a poolside BBQ they saw how bad Genie had regressed
“I want live back in Marilyn house”
A new grant – more testing
Genie was placed back in the hospital for two weeks and then entered a new foster home
Temporary home over the Christmas holiday
Another “permanent home”
One home refused visitation
Curtis advocated for Genie
Letter to John Miner
March 20, 1978 – Irene regained control of her daughter
Curtiss’ Dissertation Irene’s reaction
Hurt by the term “Wild Child”
“It made me sick at the stomach. I was sick you know, when I saw those things, you know, in print. It takes a lot to make me sick” – reaction to description of Genie’s home life
Irene’s “corrections”
I was not frequently beaten, 2 times in the last year. He did try to kill me 1 time
Genie was able to move her arms, legs, bend forward and to the side
Genie was able to move her arms with the sleeping bag on, it was not a straitjacket. It was an oversized infant’s crib with wire screen around the sides. There was a wire screen on top but I never used it.
Genie did hear speech, our home is very small.
Her father did not beat her
Her father did not bark to her face
Most Importantly: Genie was not forgotten
The Lawsuit
October 1979 – lawsuit accusing – Hansen, Knapp, David Rigler, James Kent, Susan Curtiss, and the children’s hospital
Accused them of multiple infractions of patient-therapist and patient-physician confidentiality
Accused scientists of performing unethical human experimentation
Faulted John Miner for not protecting Genie from harm while he was her guardian
Asking for compensatory and punitive damages
Reactions to the Lawsuit
Testing regimen of 60-70 hours/week
It was fun, Genie thought most of this as a game
Susan Curtis - “My test periods were never more than 45 minutes on a given day, the rest was playing, going for walks, just being friends”
Scientists were shocked
David Rigler – The mystery became clear for him
Jean Butler
Jean stayed in the shadows
Irene didn’t sound like herself
Lawsuit (continued)
Case lasted 6 years
Time dulled the complaint
Case finally almost settled – Jean wanted Irene to decline the offer
Complaint was “dismissed” or rather “upheld”
Curtiss agreed to direct a program for Genie
Children’s hospital agreed to give yearly physical and psychiatric evaluations
Full access to and use of Genie’s records were granted
Curtis relinquished the fund she had set aside for Genie
No other financial penalties
Where is Genie now?
Adult foster care home
Southern California
Little is known about current condition
Private investigator - happy
Jay Shurley’s visits
Largely silent
Depressed
Chronically intitutionalized
Discussion
Reactions/Thoughts?
What kind of problems do you think arose having Rigler as a scientist on her case and one of her primary care givers?
What could they have done, or what would you do differently, that would have benefited Genie in better ways?
If this were a case today, how do you think it would be handled?
How should the ethics of a case such as this be handled?