BEHAVIORAL INDIVIDUALITY IN 4 CULTURAL-FAMILIALLY RETARDED BROTHERS

Four brothers were admitted to a state training school at the same time. During seven weekly sessions, prior to their unexpected withdrawal from the institution, their acquisition and maintenance of free-operant differentiation and discrimination were recorded in a controlled laboratory environment. Continuous, simultaneous, direct, automated measurements revealed striking differences in the accuracy, efficiency, and stability of their ongoing behavior, despite marked similarity of their case-record data. The need for sensitive methods of analyzing specific behavioral abilities and deficits in retarded children is indicated. © 1969.