Social Mobility: Intergenerational and Intragenerational (10A) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

How education, family background, and occupation shape adult socioeconomic status. Links individual characteristics to achieved social position.

Movement of individuals or groups within a social stratification system. Encompasses both upward and downward changes in class or status.

Change in social position between parents and their children. Compares offspring's status to their parents' status.

Change in social position within an individual’s own lifetime. Occurs during one person's career or life span.

B. Between generations means parent-child comparison.

A. Within generation means changes in one's own lifetime.

Movement to a higher socioeconomic position. Improves class, income, education, or occupational prestige.

Movement to a lower socioeconomic position. Decreases in class, income, education, or occupational prestige.

Status change with little or no change in social rank. Job change at same hierarchical level, like lateral career moves.

Horizontal mobility. Both professions have comparable status and compensation.

Downward mobility. Loss of professional status represents decline in position.

Mobility driven by societal changes that alter opportunities and occupations. Economic shifts create or eliminate entire job categories.

Change in social class between parents and their children. Compares offspring's class to their parents' class.

Movement of individuals or groups within a stratification system. Refers to changes in position within society's hierarchy.

Horizontal mobility. Same class level despite occupational change.

No mobility; children’s income fully tracks parents’ income. Perfect correlation means income is inherited.

Complete mobility; parents’ income does not predict children’s income. Zero correlation means perfect income mobility.

$0.2$. Lower values indicate weaker parent-child income link.

Strength of parent-child income persistence; higher IGE = less mobility. Coefficient showing income correlation across generations.

How strongly children’s rank depends on parents’ rank. Measures correlation between parent-child positions.

Whether children’s outcomes exceed their parents’ in real terms. Compares actual income/status to parents' levels.

Mobility where upward moves are offset by downward moves overall. Zero-sum mobility where gains equal losses in society.

Mobility caused by changes in the economy or labor market structure. Economic shifts create or eliminate entire job categories.

Movement to a lower socioeconomic position. Results in loss of class standing or resources.

Movement to a higher socioeconomic position. Improves one's class standing through advancement.

Change in social class within an individual’s lifetime. Tracks class changes from start to end of one's career.

Movement to a lower social class or socioeconomic position. Often due to job loss, illness, or economic downturns.

Social reproduction. Cultural capital perpetuates class advantages across generations.

Exchange mobility. Individual competition redistributes positions without structural change.