In her book Genie: A Psycholinguistic Study of a Modern-Day "Wild Child," Susan Curtiss (1977) described a girl (whom Curtiss called "Genie" to protect her privacy) who had been raised with little exposure to language. Convinced that his daughter was retarded and unmanageable, Genie's father kept her almost constantly confined to a small room in the house. Genie's life was one of physical abuse, neglect, and isolation from the outside world. The family rarely spoke to her, and she had no access to either television or radio. Finally, when Genie was 13, she, her mother, and an older brother left the home that Genie's father had made so unbearable. Shortly after, social services authorities became aware of Genie's situation and hospitalized her for severe malnutrition. At the time, Genie had only two words in her speaking vocabulary and understood fewer than 20 words. In more nurturing care over the next 4¹/₂ years, Genie gradually learned many more words, but she never did acquire the grammar of a typical 4- or 5-year-old. This situation best illustrates _______ in child development.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The case of Genie illustrates the concept of a sensitive period in child development, highlighting the importance of exposure to language early in life for normal language acquisition.

In Her Book Genie: a Psycholinguistic Study of a Modern-Day