Mentally retarded subjects who could read were tested on their ability to pronounce words and to produce meaningful associates. Analyses of their responses indicated an overuse of a strategy of memorizing words as a way to recognize words in print and an inability to consider word meanings in terms of abstract referents. A comparison of these results with responses given by normal children suggested that the retarded used cognitive strategies which led to inefficient reading and even interfered with the development of effective reading skills. (Author)