Perception of contingency and mental retardation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• General learning difficulties in individuals with mental retardation share similarities with non-retarded individuals experiencing learned helplessness or external locus of control.
• Learned helplessness and locus of control theories focus on the perceived relationship between behavior and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the parallels between learning difficulties in mental retardation and concepts of learned helplessness and locus of control.
• To suggest that investigating the perception of contingency can enhance understanding of learning challenges in mental retardation.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on perception of contingency in relation to mental retardation.
• Theoretical analysis connecting locus of control, learned helplessness, and contingency perception.

Main Results:

• Few studies currently exist that directly investigate perception of contingency and mental retardation.
• Theoretically, perception of contingency is a relevant construct for understanding learning difficulties in this population.

Conclusions:

• Perception of contingency is a promising area for future research to understand learning difficulties in mental retardation.
• Further empirical investigation is needed to validate the proposed theoretical links.