The investigation compared social maturity levels in rural and urban children with mental retardation (between 40 and 70 IQ points). The magnitude of discrepancy between the subjects' IQ and their social quotients (SQ) was examined using an SQ:IQ ratio. Rural subjects had a significantly higher SQ:IQ ratio than urban ones, and age was also positively correlated with this ratio. No significant gender difference was evident. The rural children's higher social maturity relative to their IQ must be considered in the context of their life experiences, which are in various ways different to that of urban children. From an early age, rural children are involved in household and community responsibilities, such as fetching water, firewood, herding cattle, and other practices that are not as common among urban children. The findings lend support to the idea that even in disadvantaged communities, given appropriate opportunities, children with mental retardation do have the capacity to enhance their social competence, possibly more so than those in less challenging environments.
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