ERIC Number: ED019780
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1967-Mar
Pages: 68
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
IMPROVING THE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF YOUNG, EDUCABLE MENTAL RETARDATES. FINAL REPORT.
ROSS, SHEILA
TO INCREASE THE YOUNG EDUCABLE MENTAL RETARDATE'S KNOWLEDGE OF APPROPRIATE SOCIAL RESPONSES, A TRAINING PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED UTILIZING THE PRACTICAL SYLLOGISM. SUBJECT GROUPS, AGED 3-9 TO 10-3, INCLUDED (1) 32 EDUCABLE MENTAL RETARDATES WITH A MEAN IQ OF 66, DIVIDED INTO CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS OF 16 EACH, (2) 16 AVERAGE CHILDREN WITH IQ'S OF 90 TO 110 OR IN THE 50TH TO 60TH PERCENTILE ON GROUP READINESS AND ABILITY TESTS, AND (3) 16 ABOVE AVERAGE CHILDREN WITH IQ'S OF 125 TO 145 OR ABOVE THE 90TH PERCENTILE ON THE SAME GROUP TESTS. BOTH THE RETARDED GROUPS WERE GIVEN 120 TRAINING INCIDENTS USING DOLL PLAY, LIVE MODELS, PUPPETS, AND FILM SLIDES. TRAINING FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL (E) GROUP WAS IN RESPONSES TO SIX COMMON TYPES OF SOCIAL SITUATIONS SUCH AS ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE OR RESPONDING TO DISAPPROVAL. TRAINING FOR THE CONTROL (C) GROUP WAS IN VERBAL AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS. THE AVERAGE GROUP RECEIVED NO TRAINING. PRETESTS AND POSTTESTS MEASURED LOGIC AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. RESULTS INDICATED THAT (1) AFTER TRAINING THE E-GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE C-GROUP ON LOGICAL THINKING (P LESS THAN .05) AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (P LESS THAN .0005), (2) ALTHOUGH THE C-GROUP SCORED LOWER THAN THE E-GROUP AFTER TRAINING, IT SCORED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER AFTER TRAINING THAN BEFORE ON LOGICAL THINKING (P LESS THAN .05) AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (P LESS THAN .01), (3) BEFORE TRAINING THE RETARDED GROUPS SCORED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE GROUP ON LOGIC (P=.001) AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (P=.0005), AND (4) AFTER TRAINING THE E-GROUP SCORED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE GROUP ON LOGIC (P LESS THAN .005) BUT HIGHER ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (P LESS THAN .05). RESULTS THUS CONFIRMED THE HYPOTHESES THAT (1) RETARDED CHILDREN HAVE LESS SKILL IN LOGICAL THINKING AND KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR THAN AVERAGE CHILDREN, AND (2) WITH TRAINING, RETARDED CHILDREN CAN IMPROVE IN LOGICAL THINKING AND MAY REACH OR SURPASS THE LEVEL OF AVERAGE CHILDREN IN KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN SPECIFIC COMMONLY OCCURRING SITUATIONS. (AA/MY)
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Palo Alto Medical Research Foundation, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A