The present study is a comparison of the responses of Negro and white ninth-grade adolescents of low socioeconomic status concerning 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 x 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 internalexternal control or the status conditions and delay behavior.

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