Position cues in discrimination behaviour of normal, Down syndrome and other mentally handicapped children

Groups comprising twelve Down syndrome, twelve other mentally handicapped children and twelve normal children, matched for M.A., were tested on a visual discrimination task. There was some evidence to support the suggestion that certain types of mentally handicapped children attended to single cues, rather than to total configuration. There was also evidence of perceptual distortion resulting in reversal and attraction to "good form". Differences were detected between Down syndrome and non-Down syndrome handicapped children which were consistent with the suggestion that Down syndrome children characteristically show flexibility in approach to perceptual discrimination tasks. The results were not inconsistent with interpreting perceptual processes in handicapped and normal children as essentially similar.