Caregiver attributions of success or failure of their mentally retarded dependent

Attitudes and expectations may have an effect on the development and well-being of the mentally retarded. The purpose of this study was to examine caregiver attributions of their developmentally disabled dependent's successes or failures and the congruence of these beliefs with attributional theory. The results indicate that the majority of caregiver explanations adhere to the attributional framework and that the attributions appear related to the dependent's age.