In the 16 years since the publication of the second edition of this volume, psychological theory and research in mental retardation has continued to expand and extend scientific, theoretical, and clinical understanding of this most complex and challenging human condition. Explicit effort has been made to translate theory and research into useful and efficacious assessment, intervention, prevention, and policy actions. This third edition provides an opportunity to critique major conceptual developments and empirical research in an effort to stimulate further behavioral research of practical, social importance. The Handbook presents work by prominent contributors to a major scientific endeavor that has grown dramatically during the last three decades. The challenge for each author was to identify important theoretical and empirical issues, provide a critical, selective review of exemplary research, and discuss the questions that remain unanswered in each area. In short, the goal for this third edition was to consolidate the knowledge gained during the past 30 years and to present a blueprint for future research in mental retardation, the broader field of learning disabilities, and other developmental disorders such as autism. Providing totally different coverage and direction from the previous edition, this text fills a crucial instructional need in graduate courses related to the psychology of mental retardation. With its emphasis on psychological research and theory, it offers an important alternative to many available texts that primarily emphasize the application of research.

International Review of Research in Mental Retardation is an ongoing scholarly look at research into the causes, effects, classification systems, syndromes, etc. of mental retardation. Contributors come from wide-ranging perspectives, including genetics, psychology, education, and other health and behavioral sciences.

This book reviews theoretical and empirical work in the developmental approach to mental retardation. Armed with methods derived from the study of typically developing children, developmentalists have recently learned about the mentally retarded child's own development in a variety of areas. These areas now encompass many aspects of cognition, language, social and adaptive functioning, as well as of maladaptive behavior and psychopathology. In addition to a focus on individuals with mental retardation themselves, familial and other "ecological" factors have influenced developmental approaches to mental retardation. Comprised of twenty-seven chapters on various aspects of development, this handbook provides a timely, comprehensive guide to understanding mental retardation and development.

Volume 31 of the International Review of Research in Mental Retardation is a thematic exploration of personality and motivation in persons with mental retardation. Looking at a broad spectrum of intellectual disabilities, Mental Retardation, Personality, and Motivational Systems explores motivation as a moderator for performance and individualized effort. Coverage includes discussions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in both mentally retarded and non-retarded children, self-determination, interpersonal decision making in adolescents and adults with mental retardation, interpersonal relationships, and the connection between etiological-specific differences and motivation to form "behavioral phenotypes." A final chapter presents a transactional perspective on human ability, relying on constructs of intelligence, cognitive processes, and motivation, with implications for developmental interventions in the lives of persons with mental retardation. - Explores personality and motivation in persons with mental retardation - Discusses intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in both mentally retarded and non-retarded children - A useful reference for researchers and scholars in developmental and cognitive psychology, as well as neuropsychology

First published in 1984. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book grows out of the optimistic view that mental retardation can be treated. It views mental retardation primarily as a behavioral problem. A child is diagnosed as retarded primarily because he behaves in certain maladaptive ways, not simply because he may have a chromosomal anomaly. The contributors view any intervention intended to produce adaptive changes in the behavior of the retarded as "treatment." The authors come from the fields of medicine, special education, and speech and hearing, as well as from psychology. The book is intended to help students and workers in the field apply research findings and theoretical formulations in their appraisal and treatment of mental retardation. The primary emphasis of the book is empirical. While many of the author's suggestions have not been subjected to rigorous experimental scrutiny, almost all have been derived from close examination of the research literature. A wide diversity of topics are included in this volume. Criteria employed were the relevance of the topic to the understanding and modifi cation of defective behavior; and the subject's popularity or neglect in other sources. Ameliorating Mental Disability will be of interest to medical officers in institutions for the mentally challenged, lecturers giving courses for teachers of the educationally subnormal, and to psychologists, social workers, and teachers.