Boosting college prospects among low-income students: Using self-affirmation to trigger motivation and a behavioral ladder to channel it.

Access to college for students from low-income families is disproportionately low because of many factors. A targeted intervention that addresses social psychological factors is introduced in the present paper. It is hypothesized that the steps needed to go to college-applying for college and applying for financial aid-can be blocked by both psychological and behavioral friction. The psychological friction arises from the threats to...