ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RELATED TO CREATIVE PRODUCTION WERE STUDIED TO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF THE LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS AND EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN FROM VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC LEVELS. CHILDREN FROM THE FIFTH GRADE WERE SELECTED AS SUBJECTS - 359 NEGRO AND 244 WHITE CHILDREN. FURTHER DIVISION INCLUDED FOUR SOCIOECONOMIC LEVELS. A VARIETY OF MEASURING INSTRUMENTS WERE EMPLOYED TO GATHER THE DATA AND TEST THE VARIABLES. ANALYSES WERE ACCOMPLISHED VIA COVARIANCE ANALYSIS (WITH CORRECTION FOR UNEQUAL, DISPROPORTIONATE MEANS) AND FACTOR ANALYSIS. THE FINDINGS INDICATED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN CREATIVE THOUGHT FAVORING THE HIGHER SOCIOECONOMIC CHILD IN MOST VERBAL AREAS. THE LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC CHILD, HOWEVER, PERFORMED BETTER IN THE NONVERBAL AREAS. FURTHER RESEARCH WAS SUGGESTED TO DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE PERFORMANCE IN CREATIVE THOUGHT. (RS)