# THE SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

> **NIH NIH R37** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON · 1993 · $204,868

## Abstract

In the past three years, we have conducted a programmatic research effort
designed to improve our understanding of the social acceptance of mentally
retarded children in different school settings.

It is our intent to continue and to expand upon the line of research we
have begun.  Our primary aims will be:

1) To determine how the social acceptability of mentally retarded children
among their nonretarded and retarded peers is affected in laboratory and
natural situations by their own characteristics, those of their nonretarded
peers, and background variables; and

2) To determine if these factors can impeded or reverse the stigmatization
of mentally retarded children in laboratory and natural situations.

We propose to extend our research in four ways.  (1) We will investigate
the role that mentally retarded children's conversational skills play (in
combination with their other personal characteristics and background
variables) in determining their acceptability to nonretarded peers.  This
investigation of he interactive effects of these characteristics and
variables will take place in a laboratory situation.  (2) We will attempt
to determine whether there is a direct relationship between the attitudes
children express in the laboratory and the attitudes and behaviors the same
children direct toward mentally retarded peers integrated into their
regular classrooms.  (3) We will examine the relationship of mentally
retarded children's characteristics to their social acceptance in regular
classrooms.  (4) We will study the behavioral antecedents of mentally
retarded children's social acceptance by observing their interactions with
nonretarded peers in classroom analog situations.  These approaches will
help establish the generalizability and ecological validity of our findings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2197132
- **Project number:** 5R37HD014772-11
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON
- **SAM.gov UEI:** CGCDJ24JJLZ1
- **Principal Investigator:** GARY N SIPERSTEIN
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $204,868
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-09-01 → 1995-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2197132

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2197132, THE SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN (5R37HD014772-11). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2197132. Licensed CC0.

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