A Methodological Analysis of the Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale with Normal and Retarded Children

Abstract

Educable mentally retarded children and normal children of average intelligence were compared in performance on the Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale. The purpose of the study was to determine the following: 1.) a measure of long-term test-retest reliability, 2.) suitability of the scale with a younger chronological age group, and 3.) comparative data on differences in anxiety scores between normal and retarded children.Controls for procedural modifications, residential and educational status, sex differences, chronological age range, and range of IQ were employed. Test-retest correlations indicated that the scale was reliable for normal Ss but not for the retarded Ss. CMAS effects based on age and IQ did exist. Older retardates received higher anxiety scores than younger retardates on Test 2, while Test 1 difference was not significant. Retarded children obtained higher anxiety scores than normal children on Test 1. It was concluded that reliability over a 10-month period is poor for retarded Ss. Moreover, the instrument is of doubtful utility with younger retarded Ss.