An Active-Passive Dimension in the Definition of Mental Retardation
adequate measures of it, the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (Doll, 1953) and the Adaptive Behavior Scales (Nihira, Foster, Shellhaas, Leland, 1969) notwithstanding. 2. To define adaptive behavior relative to the requirements of particular settings would make necessary an unwieldy number of instruments. 3. An emphasis on adaptive behavior would blur the distinction between the mentally retarded and the emotionally disturbed, thus moving away from rather than toward precise classification of atypical children. 4. Adaptive behavior might be more affected by intervention programs than psychometric intelligence, thereby violating the basic