Research on imitation in mentally retarded persons: theory-bound or ecological validity run amuck?
Research on imitation in mentally retarded persons was examined to assess whether the bulk of the research had been aimed at theory confirmation and/or was ecologically valid. Sixty-seven studies, mostly published between 1975 and 1980, were reviewed within the framework of the Yando, Seitz, and Zigler (1978) two-factor developmental theory of imitation. It was concluded that most of the research on imitation in mentally retarded persons was not theoretical, but was ecologically valid. The failure of a dominant theoretical framework has led to a lack of systematic and programmatic effort, thus hampering the applied potential of modeling and imitation in the education and training of mentally retarded individuals.
D003071:Cognition; D004463:Ecology; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D009042:Motivation; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012106:Research / Q000592:standards