Occupational Success Across the Lifespan: On the Differential Importance of Childhood Intelligence, Social Background, and Education Across Occupational Development.

Autor/inn/en	Deutschmann, Georg Karl; Becker, Michael; Wu, Yi-Jhen
Titel	Occupational Success Across the Lifespan: On the Differential Importance of Childhood Intelligence, Social Background, and Education Across Occupational Development. Gefälligkeitsübersetzung: Beruflicher Erfolg über die gesamte Lebensspanne: Zur unterschiedlichen Bedeutung von Intelligenz, sozialem Hintergrund und Bildung in der Kindheit für die berufliche Entwicklung.
Quelle	In: Journal of Intelligence, 13 (2025) 3, 32 S. PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2079-3200
DOI	10.3390/jintelligence13030032
Schlagwörter	Bildungsniveau; Intelligenz (Psychologie); Soziale Herkunft; Bildungsertrag; Einkommenseffekt; Berufliche Stellung; Berufserfolg; Berufsprestige; Auswirkung; Deutschland
Abstract	"What shapes (occupational) success in later life? This study examines the differential importance of intelligence in late childhood, socioeconomic background, and education across later occupations. The quantity and quality of educational success are thought to mediate the other dimensions. We analyzed data from N = 4387 participants in a German longitudinal large-scale study in multiple regression and mediation models to examine how childhood intelligence and socioeconomic background predict income and occupational status at different career stages. Both childhood intelligence and socioeconomic background predict status and income in adulthood, with childhood intelligence being the stronger predictor. However, education is an even stronger predictor and-once included in the model-mediates virtually all effects of childhood intelligence and socioeconomic background. This pattern remains stable across career stages, and education has unique effects on income and occupational status in later work life, even when controlling for work experience. Our results emphasize the pivotal role of education in transitioning to the labor market and further development at work, even at later career stages. Given the stronger link between childhood intelligence and educational success in Germany than in other countries, we find that Germany is one of the more intelligence-driven systems." The study refers to the period 1991-2018 (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku).
Erfasst von	Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Nürnberg
Update	2025/3