Surveying mentally retarded persons: responsiveness and response validity in three samples

In an exploration of the feasibility and utility of survey research with retarded populations, interviews were conducted with 52 institutionalized children, 58 institutionalized adults, and 57 community children, as well as with their parents or attendants. Analyses indicated that higher IQ interviewees were generally more responsive to questions, more often in agreement with the nonretarded informants, and less acquiescent on yes-no questions than were lower IQ interviewees. Although these relationships varied in strength from sample to sample, overall differences among samples were nonsignificant. Implications for researchers interviewing retarded persons were discussed.