Carnegie Mellon University

Childhood Subjective Social Status

Title

USA Ladder and Community Ladder

Study

PCS3

Copyright Information

Not a copyrighted scale

Primary References

1. Adler, N. E., Epel, E. S., Castellazzo, G., & Ickovics, J. R. (2000).  Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy, White womenHealth Psychology, 19, 586-592.

2. Gianaros, P. J., Horenstein, J. A., Hariri, A. R., Sheu, L. K., Manuck, S. B., Matthews, K. A., & Cohen, S. (2008). Potential neural embedding of parental social standing. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 3, 91-96.

Purpose

To capture individuals' perceptions of their parents’ relative positions in the socioeconomic hierarchy during the period when they themselves were children and adolescents.

Type of Measure

Modified.  The USA and Community Ladders were originally designed to measure adult subjective social status.  They were modified to instead measure childhood subjective social status by evaluating parental social status during childhood.

Description

Community Ladder

Respondents are presented with illustrations of two 9-rung ladders (one each for mother and father, respectively), and instructed to interpret them as representing a person’s status within his or her community.  Community is defined as being comprised of friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers; high standing within a community is defined as being well thought of by other community members. Using these ladders, respondents are asked to rank, by placing an “X” on the appropriate rung, where they thought each parent stood during the period of their own childhood and adolescence, compared to other people in their community.

USA Ladder

Respondents are presented with illustrations of two 9-rung ladders (one each for mother and father, respectively), and instructed to interpret them as representing where people stand in the United States in terms of income, education, and occupational standing. Using these ladders, respondents are asked to rank, by placing an “X” on the appropriate rung, where they thought each parent stood during the period of their own childhood and adolescence, compared to other persons in the United States.

Scaling

1=lowest status, 9=highest status

Number of Items

4 (2 ladders X 2 parents)

Scoring/Variables

  • Mother’s Community Standing Score
  • Father’s Community Standing Score
  • Aggregate Perceived Community Standing Score (average of standardized scores for mother and father)
  • Mother’s SES Score (USA Ladder)
  • Father’s SES Score (USA Ladder)
  • Aggregate Perceived SES Score (USA Ladder; average of standardized scores for mother and father)