AbstractThe relationship between eight dimensions of reading attitude and measures of academic aptitude, locus of control, and field independence was investigated for sample of 322 inner‐city Detroit fifth graders. Verbal academic aptitude correlated significantly with the Expressed Reading Difficulty, Reading Anxiety, Silent vs. Oral Reading, and Reading as Enjoyment reading attitude dimensions, while nonverbal academic aptitude correlated with Expressed Reading Difficulty and Reading Anxiety. The Expressed Reading Difficulty, Reading Anxiety, Reading Group, Reading as Direct Reinforcement, and Reading as Enjoyment dimensions were significantly related to the I+ score; reading attitudes were not related to the I‐ score. Only the Expressed Reading Difficulty dimension correlated with field independence. The meaning of these relationships was discus