Institutional tour effects on attitudes related to mental retardation.

The effects of an institutional tour on college students' attitudes toward the mentally retarded child, mentally retarded adult, state school for mentally retarded persons, and ward attendant at a state school for mentally retarded persons were investigated. Four separate Semantic Differential Scales were administered to 179 subjects prior to being given the alternative of touring a state school for mentally retarded persons (72 subjects took the tour). Pretest responses were used to divide subjects into initially positive or negative attitude groups. Posttest scores for each concept were then analyzed by a two-way classification mixed-models analysis of variance for unequal Ns. Results indicated significant positive effects on attitudes toward mental retardation as a function of the institutional tour.