Averaging every level of a concept means its structure was never thought through.

Evidence

It is not uncommon to see means used all the way up and down the basic framework. From a semantic and ontological perspective this typically reflects a lack of serious reflection and thought about the semantics of the concept and how that relates to aggregation and concept structure. This practice almost always says that the levels are really not very important because the mean is used throughout. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 1033

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the volume’s core argument that concept structure determines measurement; a laconic diagnostic that indicts a whole research practice.
• APHORISMS: Reads as methodological life-advice: if your method treats every level identically, you never had a theory of the levels.