ABSTRACT
This chapter extends the attempts of the writers to apply social psychological concepts to the explanation of variation in levels of educational and occupational attainment. It suggests that certain social structural and psychological factors— initial stratification position and mental ability, specifically— affect both the sets of significant others' influences bearing on the youth, and the youth's own observations of his ability. That the influence of significant others, and possibly his estimates of his ability, affect the youth's levels of educational and occupational aspiration. That the levels of aspiration affect subsequent levels of educational attainment; that education in turn affects levels of occupational attainment. The chapter provides the theory and data regarding what believe to be a logically consistent social psychological model. It also provides a plausible causal argument to link stratification and mental ability inputs through a set of social psychological and behavioral mechanisms to educational and occupational attainments.
