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Are retarded children more distractible? Observational analysis of retarded and nonretarded children's classroom behavior.

Retarded children are frequently characterized as more distractible and/or more outerdirected than are nonretarded children. In this study behavior thought to reflect these processes was described and the relationship of this kind of behavior to task demands was examined. Retarded and nonretarded children were observed while they worked on academic classroom tasks; retarded children were also observed while they worked on nonacademic tasks. Results indicated that retarded children were less attentive than were nonretarded children during academic periods: They spent less time on task, more time out of their seats, and more time "looking busy" but not working. Little support was found for the notion that retarded children are more outerdirected than are nonretarded children. Retarded children responded differently in nonacademic and academic situations, suggesting that behavior reflecting attention is task-related. Results were discussed in terms of previous conceptualizations of retarded persons' attention processes. Implications for future research and for educational practice were also discussed.