The “Dark Matter” of Stratification Research

Abstract

Abstract For many decades, it has been clear that noncognitive characteristics play an important role in processes of stratification and mobility, yet it has only been recently that the study of noncognitive characteristics has coalesced into a distinctive subfield of stratification research. Many social scientists are unfamiliar with standard measures of noncognitive characteristics and thus have not considered how basic models of the stratification and mobility process might be adapted to take account of noncognitive characteristics. This chapter provides stratification researchers with a clear introduction to noncognitive characteristics, covering measurement, theory, and the existing empirical consensus with respect to educational and occupational attainment, earnings, and mobility. It discusses outstanding theoretical and empirical challenges within the field and calls for a renewed focus on theory development in future studies of noncognitive characteristics and socioeconomic attainment.