Extreme Isolation Summary

Chapter Three: Socialization In the first reading, “Extreme Isolation” by Kingsley Davis, the author discusses the findings of the research performed on the infant Anna. Anna was unlike any other child at her age. During the first few months of her life, she was passed around from home to home, unable to return to her mother. She had caught many diseases along the way, which allowed her chances for a home to become slim. She was taken back to her mother and grandfather and was kept in isolation for many years until she was found. The article discusses how she learned behaviors and basic skills and also discussed a similar story about a girl named Isabelle that was found shortly after Anna. In summary, the article talks about their background
nurture question. What do you base your opinion on? I’m assuming the question they are referring to is whether you think nature or nurture has a larger impact on a child’s developmental growth. Personally, I think it’s a balance. The nature part takes place during pre-natal development and all through their lives, and the nurture aspect shapes who they are and the person they become (socially). I base my opinion on facts that contribute to nature and nurture. The second question asks what the differences are between Anna and Isabelle. Well, if I’m understanding the reading correctly, Anna had no contact with any human being except the rare time when her mother would bring in milk (which was rare). Isabelle, however, spent some time with her deaf mother in a dark room. Even though they both failed to learn basic motor skills such as language, human contact has a large impact on a person’s development and is a sole contributor to the process as well. The two also had different backgrounds and were treated differently. The third and final question asks what we can conclude about the role of nature and nurture in human development (based only on the cases of Anna and Isabelle). As far as nurture goes, both children were underdeveloped for many reasons, one being they had no history of nurture and a quality upbringing. Human contact and socialization have a large impact on a human’s development. Nature is significant