Genie

Do humans naturally have inborn traits that are genetically predisposed to look and behave a certain way' Or are humans able to adapt and learn from their environment' Locked up in a small room with little to no contact with humans since infancy, Genie was discovered on November 4th, 1970 in California where she was taken to a children’s hospital for testing. On May 21, 1971, Genie finally uttered her first words which led to a debate on whether she was more influenced by nurture or nature. Genie is an example of nurture because she is able to learn how to adapt to the environment despite having no connection until she was 13. Genie reveals that she is an example of nurture because she learns how to do basic tasks such as walking and talking even though she was isolated as a child. In her early years, she was restrained to a potty chair and kept in an empty room that had no stimulation. When Genie emerged from seclusion she had many inhuman characteristics such as a strange bunny walk, spitting, and scratching. The Children’s Hospital and the Genie Team performed tests and nurtured Genie into the environment in which she finally spoke her first words on May 21, 1971 when she was 14. In the course of nature, one would expect that the ability to communicate and walk would be wired biologically, or through nature and it will come naturally. However, in this case, it is not true because those abilities are there but it is though nurturing and observations that will enhance it. Genie had to be taught and adapt to an environment she was not accustomed to. She rarely made noises which also add to the fact that she did not have the innate ability to speak. Even though some of the “Genie Team” believed she may have been mentally retarded, Genie proved to be quite intelligent, scoring perfectly on an adult-level test that measured spatial abilities, and scoring the highest recorded results ever on tests that measure a person’s ability to make sense out of chaos and to see patterns. She might have proved Eric Lenneberg’s Critical Period Theory by only learning basic language, she learns how to live and adapt to the environment such as forming new relationships with people, something she couldn’t do before she was isolated as a child. Nature only does so much biologically because biological factors create innate abilities. However, one must nurture those abilities in order to enhance it. Nurture plays a greater influence because peers, schools, culture and family impact development and are always present. In this case, Genie proves that nurture dominates the presence of nature.