| This study draws from previous investigations of the "law of small numbers" and builds on an initial investigation of "image generalization", or the overgeneralization of images across diverse groups of people with mental retardation. Study 1 was designed to evaluate two factors that might effect image generalization--level of mental retardation and presence versus absence of behavior problems. Subjects viewed one of five films depicting persons with mental retardation at various levels of intellectual functioning and with and without behavior problems. The results suggest that the public's perceptions of persons with mental retardation is that of a group of severely handicapped people and that people generalize about the capabilities of all persons with mental retardation based on the behavior of a small number of persons with mental retardation. Any information received about a small group of people with mental retardation is likely to affect their perceptions of all persons with mental retardation.;A second study was conducted to begin to address the need to teach people to discriminate among levels of mental retardation. One group viewed a film of persons with mild mental retardation, one group viewed a film of persons with severe mental retardation, and a third group viewed both films. The results suggest that when asked to rate the capabilities of both persons with mild and severe mental retardation, subjects do discriminate between levels of mental retardation. The results are discussed in terms of the importance or recognizing the heterogeneity of persons with mental retardation. |
