KAGAN, SPENCER, and ENDER, PHILIP B. Maternal Response to Success and Failure of AngloAmerican, Mexican-American, and Mexican Children. CmILD DEVELOPMENT, 1975, 46, 452-458. Literature supports the hypothesis that use of punishment and noncontingent reinforcement are critical in the socialization of compliance, low achievement motivation, and a sense of external control. A novel behavioral measure was designed to observe the reactions of AngloAmerican, Mexican-American, and rural Mexican mothers to the successes and failures of their children. Results indicated that United States but not rural Mexican mothers gave contingently based on their child's success or failure. Rural Mexican mothers, however, unlike United States mothers, gave more to boys than girls. Punishment was rare in all 3 cultural groups, but use of both punishment and noncontingent reinforcement tended to be more common among lower-income mothers. These findings are potential explanations of cultural and economic class differences in achievement motivation, competitiveness, and locus of control.