A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUES OF WARNER AND CENTERS.

The social class theories of scholars W. Lloyd Warner and Richard Centers exhibit striking differences both with regard to theoretical underpinnings and research methodology. Regardless of important differences, however, the two approaches aim at a common goal, the ranking of individuals on a continuum designated 'social class." Warner perceives social class in terms of status hierarchies, differentiated by types of interaction and objective status characteristics. His most widely-used instrument, The Index of Status Characteristics, provides a ranking of individuals on the basis of scores computed for occupation, source of income, house type, and dwelling area. Thus the class position of individuals in given communities may be ascribed by the researcher. Although the empirical studies of Warner and his associates are oriented to- ward single community analysis, the goal of the approach seems to be the delineation of the class structure of the U.S. Even in the case of those status characteristics which apparently would be subject to variation by locality house type and dwelling area an attempt is made to provide abstract definitions which purportedly are applicable in a variety of communities.