Professor Jill Stein
Introductory Sociology
MIDTERM #2
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Making reference to both Chapter 4 (The Self & Socialization) from the textbook and the video “Secrets
of the Wild Child” please answer the following:

Briefly describe the circumstances surrounding the discovery of “Genie” and her treatment by scientists.
How does her case help us to understand the Nature-vs.-Nurture debate?

Explain the Nature-vs.-Nurture debate. What is the “forbidden experiment” and how was the discovery
in 1800 of Victor in France a model of that kind of experiment?

What is the “critical period” hypothesis of language acquisition, and how was the case of “Genie” a test
of the hypothesis?
Making reference to both Chapter 5 (Groups) from the textbook and the video “Basic Instincts: Milgram
Revisited” please answer the following:

What real life historical events inspired Stanley Milgram to conduct his famous research? What were
the results of the original Milgram experiment?

Discuss the new Milgram experiment. What can we learn about who will obey authority and who will
refuse?

How did the original Milgram and Stanford Prison Experiments influence social scientific research
ethics? Given ethical constraints, how were the researchers at Santa Clara University able to reproduce
the Milgram experiment in 2007?