Factor structure and correlates of adaptive behavior in noninstitutionalized retarded adults.

Forty mentally retarded adults working at a vocational training center were rated by their counselors on the 10 behavior domains of the Adaptive Behavior Scale. A factor analysis yielded the following factors: 1, personal independence; 2, personal responsibility; 3, productivity; and 4, social responsibility. A regression analysis of the four factors on the variables of age, sex, verbal IQ, performance IQ, and maternal trust showed that the predictors together accounted for 75 percent of the variance in Factor 1 and very little of the variance in the other factors. Theoretical and practical implications of the results were discussed.