A method is presented whereby discrete occupational titles can be represented along a multidimensional continuum reflecting a population's shared perceptions. The spatial locations are then used to operationalize significant others' influence and vocational preferences enabling a test of the applicability of the Wisconsin model of status attainment to the process of occupational choice. Data from a sample of high school students were used to demonstrate the procedure. This model was shown to be useful for explicating the processes by which specific occupational choices are made.
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