7 - Intelligence and Mental Retardation

Summary

INTELLIGENCE AND MENTAL RETARDATION: PAST. PRESENT, AND FUTURE

As we approach a new millennium, it seems appropriate to take stock. Where have we been and where are we going? This is particularly true of mental retardation and intelligence. Have researchers and specialized workers accomplished anything in their centuries of effort with the mentally retarded? Has the study of mental retardation added anything to our understanding of intelligence? Does research on intelligence provide help in understanding mental retardation?

For those of us who work in the field and look at our day-to-day progress, it often seems as if little is getting accomplished. We still do not have a very complete understanding of mental retardation and its relationship to intelligence. There certainly is no cure for mental retardation. But pessimism may simply be a function of our limited vision. We look at the present but lose sight of the past. Perhaps if the span traveled were viewed from more distant horizons, it might give a more optimistic picture.

In this chapter, we will examine several areas of mental retardation research and theory to try to answer these questions. First, we will consider definitions of mental retardation and how they have changed. Second, we will examine basic research that has attempted to understand mental retardation in terms of basic cognitive processes. Third, and finally, we will consider a sampling of the applied research that has attempted to devise interventions for the mentally retarded.