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The mental age deficit: explanation and treatment
1Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. Supplement
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Intellectual disability impacts psychological task performance, creating a mental age (MA) deficit. This deficit stems from experience in behavioral, cognitive, and motivational domains, highlighting areas for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Special Education
Background:
- Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) exhibit lower performance on psychological tasks compared to chronological age peers.
- A significant finding is their underperformance relative to non-disabled individuals of the same mental age (MA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contributing factors to the 'MA deficit' observed in individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.
- To identify key domains where experience exacerbates cognitive and behavioral underperformance.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of psychological task performance in relation to chronological age (CA) and mental age (MA).
- Identification of four primary domains contributing to the MA deficit: behavioral incompetence, deficient cognitive structures (including communication), motivational orientation, and social ecology.
Main Results:
- The 'MA deficit' is largely influenced by life experiences.
- Specific domains contributing to this deficit include behavioral, cognitive, communicative, motivational, and social-ecological factors.
- The experience of having an intellectual disability can, in itself, worsen performance.
Conclusions:
- Interventions aimed at overcoming the MA deficit should address the identified experiential domains.
- Focusing on behavioral, cognitive, motivational, and social-ecological improvements can mitigate performance gaps in individuals with intellectual disabilities.