Effects of preobservational information on adaptive behavior ratings of a mentally retarded child
| dc.creator | Terraciano, Thomas L | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-11-14T23:25:18Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-02-18T21:52:36Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-11-14T23:25:18Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1983-12 | |
| dc.degree.department | Psychology | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Preobservational bias is a phenomenon whereby factors present prior to an observation incline an observer to have preconceived notions about what is to be observed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the magnitude and direction that preobservational information and different job assignments affected observers' ratings of a young mentally retarded boy viewed on a videotape. Prior to a five-minute videotape observation session the subjects were given a description of a mentally retarded boy. Different treatment groups received information about the boy's behavior. This information varied for each treatment group and was either positive [favorable), neutral, or negative (unfavorable) in content. At the conclusion of the observation the subjects rated the child's eating skills using a modified version of the Balthazar Scales of Adaptive Behavior. Subjects also responded to various adjective descriptors about the boy on a 12 item semantic differential scale. No statistically significant differences were noted on the dependent variable, adaptive behavior rating, for either of the independent variables, valence of preooservationa1 information or job assignment. Significant differences between treatment conditions were noted when semantic differential items were analyzed. Significant differences between subjects in the neutral and positive and neutral and negative information groups were noted, as subjects receiving neutral information tended to rate the child more favorably on a factor reflecting evaluative judgments about some of the chill's personality characteristics- On a factor rating the child's potency [i.e., strength or health) subjects who worked with lower-functioning clients and who received negative preobservational reports about the child rated him the highest. A suspected "sympathy effect" was hypothesized for this finling. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2346/17107 | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Texas Tech University | en_US |
| dc.rights.availability | Unrestricted. | |
| dc.subject | Children with mental disabilities | en_US |
| dc.subject | Behavioral assessment | en_US |
| dc.subject | Observation (Psychology) | en_US |
| dc.title | Effects of preobservational information on adaptive behavior ratings of a mentally retarded child | |
| dc.type | Dissertation |