Ability of Institutionalized and Community-Based Adults With Retardation to Respond to Questions in an Interview Context

Abstract

This study examined the ability of adults with mild and moderate levels of retardation to respond to simple and complex questions. The sample consisted of 20 subjects living in an institutional setting and 20 subjects living in the community. A 30-minute language sample, structured as a job interview, was elicited from each subject by an investigator. During the interview, the investigator asked a number of questions interspersed within the conversation. Two levels of questions were presented: simple and complex. Ten questions were presented at each level. Responses were scored in terms of how informative and truthful the subject was (specific scoring conventions were based upon the work of Grice, 1975). The community group produced a significantly greater number of appropriate answers to both simple and complex questions than did the institutional group. Group differences were observed along both parameters of informativeness and truthfulness.