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Situational influences on mentally retarded and nonretarded children's production of directives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Leonard Abbeduto*
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University
*
Leonard Abbeduto, Box 512, George Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of the communicative situation on the directives produced by retarded children and nonretarded kindergartners. The two groups were matched on nonverbal MA and on the linguistic maturity of their spontaneous speech. All children could produce the linguistic forms appropriate for the experimental task. In the experimental task, directives were elicited in role-playing situations which differed on three dimensions: addressee age, cause of the directive, and purpose of the directive. As measured by directive politeness, the retarded and nonretarded children were influenced similarly by the situational manipulations. However, they relied on different linguistic forms to convey directives. Many children had a preferred form. Within and between group differences in form preferences were observed.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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