SIXTY-NINE MEXICAN AND NEGRO PRESCHOOL CHILDREN RANGING IN AGE FROM 5 TO 7 YEARS TOOK PART IN A STUDY TO FIND OUT IF MATERIAL REWARDS GIVEN TO HEAD START CHILDREN WOULD AFFECT THE ATTITUDES OF MOTHERS AND TEACHERS TOWARDS THE CHILDREN. BOTH MOTHERS AND TEACHERS RATED THE CHILDREN ON THE HEAD START SOCIAL BEHAVIOR INVENTORY, AND MOTHERS ALSO ESTIMATED THEIR CHILDREN'S ABILITIES TO DO TASKS ADAPTED FROM THE CALDWELL PRESCHOOL INVENTORY (PSI). THE CHILDREN WERE PRETESTED ON THE PSI AND THE PEABODY PICTURE VOCABULARY TEST, THEN GROUPED INTO EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL CLASSES. TWICE A WEEK FOR THE NEXT 5 WEEKS EACH CHILD IN THE REWARDED CLASSES WAS GIVEN A TOY AND A BAG OF FRUIT WITH A NOTE FROM THE TEACHER STATING THAT THESE WERE REWARDS FOR THE CHILD'S PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL THAT DAY. NONREWARDED CHILDREN TOOK HOME ITEMS MADE IN SCHOOL THAT DAY SUCH AS SCHOOL VALENTINES AND CUT-OUTS. AFTER 5 WEEKS, MOTHERS AND TEACHERS AGAIN RATED CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR, AND MOTHERS AGAIN ESTIMATED TASK ABILITY. ALL CHILDREN WERE GIVEN A POSTTEST OF TASKS AND A PARALLEL FORM OF THE PRETEST ACHIEVEMENT MEASURE. ANALYSES OF VARIANCE OF THE DATA SHOWED THAT MOTHERS' ATTITUDES DID NOT CHANGE AS A RESULT OF REWARDS BUT THAT TEACHERS' ATTITUDES WERE POSITIVELY AFFECTED. AN APPENDIX INCLUDES FACSIMILES OF TESTS AND SCALES USED. THIS STUDY WAS DONE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR DOCTORAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS. (MS)