Considering the common definition of intelligence, which is that it "...represents the ability to solve problems" (Sternberg 712), the creature displays very high-level functioning. No one showed the creature how to solve this problem or how to start approaching making this performance almost strangely instinctive. The intelligence of the creature should be linked to the richness of its environment and the quality of the education it receives; This is suggested both by the blank slate, which attributes very high importance to teaching, but also to current research; Neglected children, like feral children, often have trouble communicating and reasoning abstractly. Even in the lowest socioeconomic environments children experience profound effects; a study on the effects of lone motherhood found that “in most cases, family and community circumstances appear linear in their effects on mothers' reports of their children's difficulties; for example, as deprivation increases, the likelihood that difficulties will be reported also increases” (Zagel 13). Considering how completely deprived the creature's initial environment was, it is already impressive that it could reach basic functionality. However, it doesn't just function, it does so at a higher level than some humans; listening to the language lessons given in Safie, the