Decision-making in people with mild intellectual disability: Relations with intelligence and a measure of executive functioning

ABSTRACT

Background

In this study we aimed to explore how intelligence and executive functioning are related to decision-making regarding social situations in persons with mild ID.

Method

We studied 80 vocational school students with mild ID; the controls were 80 students of a similar age. We assessed decision-making ability with the Important Life Decisions Task. Intelligence was assessed with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Revised (WAIS-R), and executive functioning with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).

Results

The WAIS-R Verbal Comprehension and the Memory/Freedom From Distractibility factors predicted the decision-making score. Executive functioning was not related to decision-making. There was no interaction between the group and other variables.

Conclusions

Verbal intellectual abilities and abilities related to short-term memory and attention play an important role in decision-making regarding social situations. The difference in performance between persons with ID and the control group should be regarded as quantitative and not qualitative.

KEYWORDS:

• Intellectual disability
• decision-making
• intelligence
• executive functioning

Acknowledgements

The authors have contributed to, read, and approved the manuscript, and agree to the order of authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study will be made available by the authors to qualified researchers upon reasonable request.