This investigation estimates the magnitude of the relationship between social class and visual information processing rates, and compares the development curves of processing rate for advantaged and disadvantaged children. Subjects were grade school children in a metropolitan area of southwestern Michigan. Estimates of the information processing rate were obtained by tachistocopically presenting two stimuli to the subject. The interval between the stimuli required by the subject to process the first stimulus was that subject's information processing rate. Social class was quantified using Duncan's "Socioeconomic Index". Data analysis involved use of the Pearson correlation, multiple regression technique and analysis of variance. Results indicated that disadvantaged children do process visual information more slowly than advantaged children. The development curves for the two groups tend to converge as they proceed through school. (Author/CJ)