The Henry A. Murray Research Center at Radcliffe recently received a $26,000 grant from the W.T. Grant Foundation of New York City to conduct research into adolescent girls' expectations for their future lifestyles.

Abigail J. Stewart, director of the Center, said yesterday researchers will study girls of different races and social classes to determine why "on the average girls have lower aspirations than boys."

The researchers want to identify psychological, environmental, and experience factors that influence girls' attitudes and goals, she added.

Researchers will not gather data themselves, but will analyze data already collected in other studies, including a project by President Horner on early adolescent development.

Several Harvard undergraduates and graduate students, are working on the project already, Stewart said.