Evaluating psychotropic drugs in people with mental retardation: where are the social validity data?

In general, social validity data reflect the social significance of target behaviors, the appropriateness of procedures, and the perceived importance of results. These data are important insofar as they predict whether a given intervention will be used and, if used, whether consumers are likely to be satisfied with it. Despite the importance of social validity data, a survey of articles published from 1987 through 1993 in five major journals revealed that none of the 68 articles concerned with the psychopharmacology of mental retardation reported social validity data.