DIAGNOSTIC OVERSHADOWING AND MENTAL-RETARDATION - A METAANALYSIS

Clinicians who minimize the significance of emotional disorders in per sons with mental retardation may be displaying the diagnostic overshad owing judgmental bias. A meta-analysis of the existing literature on t his bias was conducted to determine its reliability, the size of its e ffect, and its potential clinical significance. Results show the effec t to be reliable across studies; the size of the effect was small to m oderate. Interpretation of the clinical significance of these results is clouded by the absence of in vivo studies. Additional concerns incl ude insufficient attention given to clinician and situational variable s moderating the presence of diagnostic overshadowing.