A comparison of borderline and mild mental retardates assessed on the memory for designs and the WAIS-R

A matched group (N ‐ 114) between high errors and no error conditions on the MFD was examined in a population of borderline and mild mental retardates. Matched variables were sex, Full Scale IQ, and age. The MFD, PIAT, and the WAIS‐R were administered to all subjects. Results on achievement tests showed that the mild mental retardation subjects with high errors on the MFD had lower achievement scores on the PIAT compared to the non‐error group. The non‐error group performed at a higher level on the Picture Arrangement, Vocabulary, Math, and Reading Comprehension. Borderline retardation subjects showed no significant differences between error and non‐error groups on the PIAT and WAIS‐R. These conclusions indicate that the MFD is a more sensitive indicator of intelligence differences than of organicity differences.