Social deprivation and the performance of retarded and normal children on a satiation type task.

Abstract

Several investigators have found that retarded children will play simple, open-ended games longer than will normal children (4, 6, 14). This finding, that retarded Ss take longer to satiate on such instruction-initiated tasks, has given rise to considerable controversy (3, 5, 9, i1, 14). A review of pertinent studies and a critique of the controversy stemming from them were recently presented by Zigler (12). Two positions have been advanced to explain the lengthier performance of retarded Ss on satiation type tasks. Lewin (6) and Kounin (4) attributed the perseverance exhibited by retarded Ss to their rigid state. Both Lewin and Kounin viewed this rigid state as an outgrowth of a lessened permeability in the boundaries of the life space of the retarded as compared to normals of the same MA. As noted previously (12), the Lewin-Kounin formulation has provided the conceptual foundation for the questionable but widely accepted general hypothesis that retarded individuals are more rigid than normal individuals of the same MA. Stevenson and Zigler (io) were unable to verify predictions derived from the rigidity hypothesis and, after noting a similar failure by Plenderleith (7), rejected the Lewin-Kounin formulation. In its place, these investigators advanced a motivational hypothesis to explain the greater perseverance of retarded Ss. This hypothesis was based on the assumption that institutionalized retarded children tend to have been relatively deprived of adult contact and approval and hence have a higher motivation to secure such contact and approval than do normal children. Thus, on a satiation task, the institutionalized retarded children will play the game longer than will normal children due to the enhanced effectiveness of reinforcers such as adult attention and support. The motivational hypothesis received some support from a recent study by Zigler (I3). This investigator, employing only institutionalized retarded