Differences between Blacks' and Whites' Expectations of Control by Chance and Powerful others

Black and white college students ( N = 194) completed the Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance locus of control scales. Findings indicated that students from low-income families had stronger perceptions that their lives were controlled by chance forces than wealthier students ( p < .05). Analyses of covariance controlling for level of socioeconomic status showed that blacks scored significantly higher than whites in their perception of control by powerful others ( p < .05) and chance forces ( p < .001).