CONTROL AMONG LOW SOCIO-ECONOMIC ADOLESCENTS1 by

The present study compared the responses of Negro and white lower socio-economic ninth grade adolescents on belief in internal versus external control of reinforcement and delay of gratification under high and low status conditions. Negro students were significantly more likely to be external and to be less likely to delay gratification than were their white counterparts. A sex by race interaction approached significance with the difference between Negro and white females greater than the difference between Negro and white males in both internality-externality and delay of reinforcement. No relationship was found between internal-external control or the status conditions and delay behavior. (Author)