Abstract
In order to examine the responsiveness of mentally retarded persons to questions in an interview situation, 20- to 30-minute interviews were conducted with institutionalized children, institutionalized adults, and community children. Responsiveness, measured by the percentage of questions answered appropriately, proved to be a stable individual behavior, positively correlated with IQ, and comparable across the three samples. Responsiveness varied as a function of question type with “yes-no” questions and questions calling for choice among pictures consistently yielding greater responsiveness than either-or questions which in turn were generally easier to answer than verbal multiple choice and open-ended questions.
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