The Usefulness of the Semantic Differential with `Mild Grade' Mental Defectives

¹ Clinical Psychology Department, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow, G12
² Senior Lecturer, St. Andrews University, St. Andrews
³ Consultant Psychiatrist, Lynebank Hospital, Dunfermline, Fife and Department of Rehabilitation Studies, University of Edinburgh
⁴ Senior Clinical Psychologist, Airedale General Hospital, Keighley, Yorkshire

Although the semantic differential has been quite widely used with mental defectives, its usefulness (in its traditional form) with such a population has not been conclusively demonstrated.

The semantic differential was developed and shown to be valid as an index of representational mediation processes. However, there is also evidence of a mediational deficiency among retardates which, therefore, ought to be reflected in retardates' responses to the semantic differential. Thus, the present study was designed to test two hypotheses: (a) that mild grade retardates, in comparison with subjects of average intelligence, would show less discrimination in the use of the semantic differential, and (b) that such discriminative deficiencies would in turn predispose toward a polarized response bias among the retarded.

The results, which supported both hypotheses, are discussed in terms of their implications for the usefulness of an unmodified semantic differential with the mentally subnormal.