Asking questions of retarded persons: a comparison of yes-no and either-or formats.

Abstract In view of evidence that mentally retarded persons frequently acquiesce when asked yes-no questions, these readily answered questions were systematically compared to either-or questions on the same topics in interviews with four samples of mentally retarded children and adults. Although slightly fewer interviewees could answer either-or questions than could answer yes-no questions, either-or questions yielded answers that were more consistent from wording to wording, less invalidated by systematic response bias, and somewhat more in agreement with answers given by outside informants, either attendants or parents. The use of pictures in conjunction with either-or questions, while failing to produce significant improvements, tended to increase responsiveness and eliminate the slight bias toward choosing the last of the two options that characterized answers to verbal either-or questions.