Hand test personality correlates of aging in institutionalized mentally retarded adults

To investigate the relation of aging and personality in the institutionalized mentally retarded the projective Hand Test was administered to 103 mentally retarded adults, ranging in age from 18 to 73 yr. (M age = 40.10 yr., SD = 15.80), residing in a midwestern facility for mentally retarded persons. Partial correlation coefficients, with Stanford-Binet IQ as the controlled variable, were computed between age and the 23 Hand Test scoring variables. Results indicated the personality characteristics of aging mentally retarded persons appeared to mirror those for "normal" adults. Implications of results were discussed.