MCAT Psychological Social Foundations Flashcards: 10a Social Mobility Inter Intragenerational

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This deck focuses on 10a Social Mobility Inter Intragenerational, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for MCAT Psychological Social Foundations.

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Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is exchange mobility?

Answer: Mobility where upward moves are offset by downward moves, keeping stratification stable. Zero-sum system where gains equal losses in society.

Flashcard 2: What is vertical mobility?

Answer: Status change that involves a change in social class. Moves between different socioeconomic levels.

Flashcard 3: Identify the mobility type: A person is promoted from cashier to store manager.

Answer: Upward intragenerational mobility. Same person advances within their career lifetime.

Flashcard 4: What is status attainment?

Answer: Process by which education and work lead to adult socioeconomic status. Blau-Duncan model tracks how background affects achievement.

Flashcard 5: What is the difference between absolute mobility and relative mobility?

Answer: Absolute: overall change; Relative: change in rank vs others. Absolute measures total gains; relative measures position compared to peers.

Flashcard 6: What is horizontal social mobility?

Answer: Change in occupation/status with similar socioeconomic rank. Job switch at same prestige level (e.g., teacher to nurse).

Flashcard 7: What is the "poverty trap" as a barrier to social mobility?

Answer: Self-reinforcing poverty due to limited resources and opportunities. Lack of education, health, and capital perpetuates disadvantage.

Flashcard 8: What is "cultural capital" in explanations of social mobility?

Answer: Cultural knowledge and skills that promote educational/occupational success. Elite behaviors and tastes advantage those from higher classes.

Flashcard 9: Identify the mobility type: a factory worker becomes an engineer after training.

Answer: Upward intragenerational mobility. Individual rises in class through skill acquisition.

Flashcard 10: What is the difference between income mobility and wealth mobility?

Answer: Income mobility concerns earnings; wealth mobility concerns net assets and debt. Income is flow; wealth is accumulated stock of resources.

Flashcard 11: What is social reproduction in stratification studies?

Answer: Transmission of social class advantages across generations. Parents pass class position to children through resources.

Flashcard 12: Which mobility concept is best measured by comparing a child's SES to the parent's SES?

Answer: Intergenerational mobility. Requires generational comparison across family lines.

Flashcard 13: What is the "American Dream" as a sociological mobility ideal?

Answer: Belief that merit and effort enable upward mobility. Cultural narrative that hard work guarantees success.

Flashcard 14: What is intragenerational social mobility?

Answer: Change in social class within an individual's lifetime. Occurs during one person's career or life span.

Flashcard 15: Which option best defines meritocracy?

Answer: Status attainment primarily based on individual ability and effort. Success depends on talent and hard work, not background.

Flashcard 16: What is downward social mobility?

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

Flashcard 17: Which option describes intragenerational mobility: (A) moving from clerk to manager (B) child exceeds parent's status?

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

Flashcard 18: What is horizontal (lateral) social mobility?

Answer: Status change without a change in social class rank. Job changes at same prestige level (e.g., teacher to nurse).

Flashcard 19: What is an open stratification system?

Answer: A system with mobility possible; status is largely achieved. Merit and effort determine position more than birth circumstances.

Flashcard 20: Identify the mobility type: Many people rise in income due to an economic boom.

Answer: Structural mobility. Society-wide growth lifts many people's economic positions.

Flashcard 21: What is the key distinction between ascribed status and achieved status?

Answer: Ascribed is assigned at birth; achieved is earned through actions. Ascribed = born with it; achieved = worked for it.

Flashcard 22: Identify the mobility type: a factory closure forces many workers into lower-paying jobs.

Answer: Structural downward mobility. Economic change forces workers into worse positions.

Flashcard 23: Identify the mobility type: A manager is laid off and later works in retail.

Answer: Intragenerational downward mobility. Same person's status declined within their lifetime.

Flashcard 24: What is meritocracy in relation to social mobility?

Answer: System where advancement is based primarily on individual ability and effort. Assumes equal opportunity but ignores structural barriers.

Flashcard 25: Identify the mobility type: a lawyer becomes a professor with similar prestige and income.

Answer: Horizontal mobility. Different job but equivalent social standing.

Flashcard 26: What is a key difference between structural mobility and exchange mobility?

Answer: Structural shifts the distribution; exchange keeps it constant. Structural creates new positions; exchange just swaps existing ones.

Flashcard 27: Which option best describes an open stratification system?

Answer: A system that permits movement between social strata. Allows class changes through effort or circumstances.

Flashcard 28: What is social reproduction in the context of mobility?

Answer: Intergenerational transmission of social status across generations. Explains how class advantages persist across generations.

Flashcard 29: What is a caste system?

Answer: Closed stratification with status fixed at birth. Social position determined by birth family, not personal merit.

Flashcard 30: What is cultural capital as it relates to social mobility?

Answer: Valued knowledge and skills that facilitate status attainment. Includes education, tastes, and behaviors that signal class.

Flashcard 31: Identify the concept: In a closed system, upward moves require equal downward moves overall.

Answer: Exchange (circulation) mobility. Describes competitive mobility in fixed hierarchies.

Flashcard 32: Identify the mobility type: A teacher becomes a journalist with similar prestige.

Answer: Horizontal (lateral) mobility. Both jobs have comparable social standing despite field change.

Flashcard 33: Identify the term: A factory closure forces many workers into lower-paying jobs.

Answer: Structural downward mobility. Economic changes force workers into lower positions.

Flashcard 34: Identify the term for being tracked into low-wage work due to discrimination and limited options.

Answer: Social stratification via labor market segmentation. It occurs when biases and structural divisions confine groups to inferior job sectors with limited advancement.

Flashcard 35: What is intragenerational social mobility?

Answer: Change in social status within the same individual's lifetime. Tracks status changes from career start to retirement.

Flashcard 36: What is intergenerational social mobility?

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

Flashcard 37: Identify the mobility type: many workers move into service jobs after manufacturing declines.

Answer: Structural mobility. Economic changes force sectoral job transitions.

Flashcard 38: What is "social capital" in explanations of social mobility?

Answer: Resources gained from social networks that facilitate advancement. Connections provide job opportunities and career mentorship.

Flashcard 39: What is a caste system?

Answer: Closed stratification with fixed, hereditary social status. Rigid hierarchy where birth determines unchangeable social rank.

Flashcard 40: What is downward social mobility?

Answer: Movement to a lower socioeconomic position. Results in reduced class standing or income.

Flashcard 41: Identify the type of mobility: Person is promoted from clerk to manager in one career.

Answer: Intragenerational upward mobility. Same person advances within their own working life.

Flashcard 42: What is status attainment?

Answer: Process by which individuals achieve social position via education and occupation. Links education and career choices to social outcomes.

Flashcard 43: What is the "glass ceiling" as it relates to social mobility?

Answer: Invisible barrier limiting advancement for women and minorities. Prevents qualified individuals from reaching top positions.

Flashcard 44: Identify the mobility type: A teacher becomes a police officer with similar pay and prestige.

Answer: Horizontal mobility. Job change maintains same social class level and prestige.

Flashcard 45: Identify the mobility type: A nurse becomes a physician within 10 years.

Answer: Intragenerational upward mobility. Same person advances career within their working lifetime.

Flashcard 46: What is intergenerational social mobility?

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

Flashcard 47: Identify the mobility type: A manager is laid off and later works in a lower-paid service job.

Answer: Intragenerational downward mobility. Individual loses status within their lifetime due to job loss.

Flashcard 48: Identify the mobility type: Many workers move up because new high-skill jobs appear.

Answer: Structural mobility. Economy-wide changes created opportunities for mass advancement.

Flashcard 49: Which option reflects relative mobility: (A) higher income than parents (B) higher income rank than peers?

Answer: B. Relative compares rank position, not absolute amounts.

Flashcard 50: What is socioeconomic status (SES) most commonly based on?

Answer: Education, occupation, and income. These three factors determine social class position.

Flashcard 51: Identify the mobility type: A child of factory workers becomes an engineer.

Answer: Intergenerational upward mobility. Child surpasses parents' occupational and educational level.

Flashcard 52: What is relative mobility?

Answer: Movement in rank compared with others, independent of overall economic change. Focuses on position in social hierarchy, not absolute gains.

Flashcard 53: What is upward social mobility?

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

Flashcard 54: What is social mobility in sociology?

Answer: Movement of individuals or groups within a social stratification system. Refers to changes in class, status, or position in society's hierarchy.

Flashcard 55: What is horizontal social mobility?

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

Flashcard 56: What is social mobility in sociology?

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

Flashcard 57: What does a high intergenerational income elasticity indicate about mobility?

Answer: Low mobility; children's income strongly depends on parents' income. Higher elasticity means less opportunity for class change.

Flashcard 58: Identify the term: A teacher becomes a social worker with similar pay and prestige.

Answer: Horizontal mobility. Lateral move between equivalent status positions.

Flashcard 59: What is a closed stratification system?

Answer: A system with little mobility; status is largely ascribed. Birth circumstances largely determine lifelong social position.

Flashcard 60: What is an open stratification system?

Answer: A system with relatively high mobility based on achievement. Allows movement through education and career advancement.

Flashcard 61: What is social reproduction (intergenerational inequality persistence)?

Answer: Transmission of social advantage or disadvantage across generations. Maintains class structure despite individual mobility.

Flashcard 62: Which type of mobility best fits: a child of physicians becomes a physician?

Answer: Low intergenerational mobility (high social reproduction). Child maintains parent's high status profession.

Flashcard 63: What is intergenerational social mobility?

Answer: Change in social class between a person and their parents. Compares an individual's class to their parents' class.

Flashcard 64: Which option is an example of intergenerational upward mobility: A) child becomes physician; parent was janitor?

Answer: A) Intergenerational upward mobility. This scenario demonstrates a child's higher socioeconomic achievement compared to their parent's lower status.

Flashcard 65: What is social reproduction in the context of social mobility?

Answer: Transmission of social inequality and status across generations. Parents pass advantages/disadvantages to children systematically.

Flashcard 66: What is cultural capital as it relates to mobility?

Answer: Nonfinancial assets (skills, tastes, credentials) that promote social advantage. Includes knowledge, behaviors, and educational credentials.

Flashcard 67: Identify the term: A child attains a higher class position than their parents.

Answer: Upward intergenerational mobility. Child surpasses parents' social class across generations.

Flashcard 68: What is upward social mobility?

Answer: Movement to a higher socioeconomic position. It signifies improvement in socioeconomic status, often achieved through education, promotion, or economic opportunities.

Flashcard 69: What is intergenerational social mobility?

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

Flashcard 70: What is structural mobility?

Answer: Mobility caused by broad social/economic changes in society. Economy-wide shifts create new opportunities or eliminate jobs.

Flashcard 71: Identify the mobility type: A physician loses a license and becomes an aide with lower prestige.

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

Flashcard 72: Which mobility concept is best measured by tracking one person's occupations over time?

Answer: Intragenerational mobility. Focuses on individual career trajectory analysis.

Flashcard 73: Identify the mobility type: In a fixed hierarchy, one family rises only because another falls.

Answer: Exchange mobility. Limited positions mean one's gain requires another's loss.

Flashcard 74: Identify the mobility type: a child attains a higher class position than their parents.

Answer: Intergenerational upward mobility. Child surpasses parents' socioeconomic status.

Flashcard 75: What is structural mobility?

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

Flashcard 76: Identify the mobility type: A teacher becomes a teacher at a new school with similar pay and prestige.

Answer: Horizontal mobility. The transition maintains equivalent socioeconomic status despite the change in workplace.

Flashcard 77: Which concept best describes a society with movement possible between classes?

Answer: Open stratification system. Merit and effort allow movement between social classes.

Flashcard 78: Identify the type of mobility: Child becomes a physician; parent was a factory worker.

Answer: Intergenerational upward mobility. Child surpasses parent's occupational status across generations.

Flashcard 79: Which concept describes nonfinancial assets (tastes, norms, know-how) that aid mobility?

Answer: Cultural capital. It includes knowledge, behaviors, and dispositions that align with dominant culture, facilitating social integration and ascent.

Flashcard 80: What is exchange (circulation) mobility?

Answer: Mobility in which some move up while others move down, net change $= 0$. Zero-sum game where gains equal losses in social positions.

Flashcard 81: Which mobility type is most directly increased by expansion of high-skill jobs economy-wide?

Answer: Structural mobility. More high-skill jobs means more upward opportunities.

Flashcard 82: What is structural mobility?

Answer: Mobility caused by societal changes (economy, technology, demographics). External forces create new opportunities or eliminate positions.

Flashcard 83: What is relative mobility (intergenerational) measuring?

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

Flashcard 84: Identify the best term: Many people rise because new high-paying tech jobs are created.

Answer: Structural mobility. Economy-wide job growth lifts many workers together.

Flashcard 85: What is a class system?

Answer: Open stratification where status is influenced by achievement. Allows mobility through education, skills, and effort.

Flashcard 86: What is structural mobility?

Answer: Mobility caused by changes in the economy or occupational structure. Entire groups shift due to industrialization or tech changes.

Flashcard 87: Identify the type of mobility: A person becomes a lawyer after starting as a retail worker.

Answer: Intragenerational upward mobility. Career advancement within one person's working life.

Flashcard 88: What is relative mobility?

Answer: Mobility compared with others' positions; rank-order movement. Measures position changes within the social hierarchy.

Flashcard 89: Identify the mobility type: A child becomes a physician; parent was a janitor.

Answer: Intergenerational upward mobility. Child surpassed parent's occupational status across generations.

Flashcard 90: Which IGE indicates more intergenerational mobility: $0.2$ or $0.6$?

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

Flashcard 91: What is absolute mobility?

Answer: Overall change in living standards or class position across generations. It quantifies actual improvements in socioeconomic conditions from one generation to the next.

Flashcard 92: What is a class system?

Answer: More open stratification based on achieved socioeconomic status. Allows movement through education, career, and wealth accumulation.

Flashcard 93: What is an achieved status, as it relates to mobility?

Answer: A social position earned through individual actions that can enable mobility. Earned status that facilitates class movement.

Flashcard 94: What is meritocracy as an ideal model of stratification?

Answer: Status allocation based primarily on individual ability and effort. Assumes equal opportunity and rewards based on merit alone.

Flashcard 95: Which type of mobility compares a person's occupation to their parent's occupation?

Answer: Intergenerational mobility. This type evaluates socioeconomic progress or regression by contrasting parental and offspring occupations.

Flashcard 96: What is structural mobility?

Answer: Mobility caused by changes in the economy or social structure. Societal shifts create new opportunities or eliminate positions.

Flashcard 97: What is horizontal social mobility?

Answer: Change in social position with similar prestige or class level. Like switching careers at the same socioeconomic level.

Flashcard 98: What is a closed stratification system?

Answer: A system with limited mobility due to rigid social boundaries. Examples include caste systems and feudalism.

Flashcard 99: Which mobility type is illustrated when a person becomes a manager after starting as a clerk?

Answer: Intragenerational social mobility. Shows career advancement within same person's lifetime.

Flashcard 100: Identify the mobility type: A child becomes a physician; the parent was a janitor.

Answer: Intergenerational upward mobility. Child achieves higher status than parent's occupation.