Secret of the Wild Child

The film "Secret of the Wild Child" is available for viewing in the Media Center in Morris Library.

Transcript

A transcript of the film is available online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2112gchild.html.

Discussion Questions

1. Who is Genie?

2. What is "The Forbidden Experiment"?

3. Were Genie and Victor "profoundly retarded from birth"? What evidence is used to argue that they were or weren't?

4. What peculiar habits did Genie have? Did she overcome them?

5. What aspects of language did Genie learn after she was discovered?

6. What aspects of language couldn't Genie learn?

7. What is "The Critical Period Hypothesis"?

8. What are some things that might distinguish humans from other species?

9. Where did Genie go when the research grant ended?

10. What conflicts developed between Genie's best interests and the research program? Could both goals have been achieved?

11. Who was Susan Curtiss's thesis advisor?