The question raised in this paper is the extent to which third graders' thinking about mental retardation resembles their understanding of related terms, particulary smart-dumb and crazy. Based on developmental considerations, the expectation was that mental retardation, as well as the other qualities, would be defined as a set of behaviors rather than a trait, with cause and course attributed to effort, not ability. If so, children's ideas would depart from the adult consensus, which views retardation as biologically caused and irreversible. In fact, the interpretation of retardation was discrepant from the perception of smart/dumb and crazy. Retardation was interpreted as a trait—defined abstractly, with a predetermined cause and a course that is largely irreversible through personal or environmental efforts. The negative perception of mental retardation held by these third graders and their elders, which includes both cause and outcome, departs from professional positions. The latter define retardation exclusively by functional level, giving separate consideration to etiology and prognosis. The likely impact of this conceptualization on child and adult attitudes and professional nomenclatures is discussed.
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