Attitudes toward mentally retarded persons: effects of attitude referent specificity

The effects of the specificity of the attitude referent on female adults' expressed attitudes were studied. Specifically, attitudes toward a 'mentally retarded person' referent were compared with attitudes toward mentally retarded referents who were described in terms of their severity of retardation and CA. Results indicated that expressed attitudes toward a nondescript mentally retarded person referent were generally intermediate in favorability between mildly and severely retarded person referents. The response format of the attitude questionnaire (e.g., Likert, forced choice) was also found to affect attitude scores differentially as a function of the referent employed.