Mental retardation and the acquisition of automatic processing

The acquisition of automatic processing in persons with and without mental retardation was examined. In Experiment 1, subjects viewed slides of objects to determine whether a pictured object belonged to a designated target category. There was an effect of search set size for both groups that decreased and eventually disappeared with practice. This result reflected the acquisition of automatic processing. Also, evidence of automaticity was observed with less practice for subjects without relative to subjects with mental retardation. In Experiment 2, subjects searched for the presence of a designated target shape in arrays containing two, three, or four shapes. Results were essentially the same. Implications of these results for the development of cognitive skills by persons with mental retardation were discussed.