Development of an outerdirected style of problem solving in individuals with and without mental retardation

Outerdirected behavior in a discrimination learning task was examined in 55 individuals with mental retardation at three CA levels: children, adolescents, and adults. These groups were compared to each other and to 55 mental age (MA)-matched individuals without mental retardation. Adults with mental retardation required more trials to reach criterion and showed higher levels of outerdirectedness than did mentally retarded children and adolescents despite adults having a higher MA. Nonretarded students showed the reverse trend, with the highest MA group requiring fewer trials to reach criterion and showing lower levels of outerdirectedness than the lowest MA group. These findings focus attention on the genesis of outerdirectedness and the possibility of preventing or remediating this unproductive style of problem solving. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc, All rights reserved.