The study sought to determine if there are differences between shifts of workers in Intermediate Care Facilities in their ratings of the daily living skills of mentally retarded residents, and whether these differences reflect actual differences in performance by the residents. Staff were interviewed concerning the level of prompt required to complete the basic targeted Activity of Daily Living Skills. The results indicated that the 38 clients were rated differently over half the time by workers on morning shifts versus those on evening shifts. Observation of clients on both the morning and evening shifts found that the level of performance stated by the workers was an accurate reflection of the client level of performance. Thus discrepancies between shifts were not just perceptual but reflected the different environments reflected by the two time periods. Different client skill levels appear to be related to the demand characteristic and differential cuing that each time period has. During the morning shift, there are severe time demands to have clients ready for transportation to their programs. Tasks are concentrated into a short period, and cues, such as the cue to self-toilet, are more effective. Implications are outlined for generalization of skills to different stimulus situations. Includes five references. (JDD)