Reported is a comparative study of the responses of science-oriented and non-science-oriented high school seniors to tests assessing students' understanding of the relationship between science, technology, and society. Science-oriented students showed a more positive attitude toward science, a better understanding of the nature of the scientific enterprise, and a more realistic conception of the characteristics of scientists. Non-science-oriented students showed greatest weaknesses in areas related to the nature of science and the characteristics of scientists, and many of these students had serious misconceptions concerning the nature of science, the scientific enterprise, and the interaction between science and society. (GR)