Concepts occupy a cognitively preferred level of abstraction used in hypotheses

Evidence

The basic level in figure 2.1 is the concept as used in causal hypotheses or as the focus of theoretical, normative, or descriptive analysis. This term comes from cognitive psychology and people’s preference to work at a certain level of abstraction. For instance, core examples in this volume consist of concepts important in international politics, comparative politics, economics, and philosophy, such as human development, poverty, and well-being. The basic level is the top level of hundreds of international indices. Other important examples in this volume include peace, democracy, and the welfare state. One simple way to locate the basic level is in the variables of the statistical analysis or core hypotheses. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 158

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘basic level’ as adapted from cognitive psychology, then operationalizes it as the variables in a statistical analysis.
• XREF: Connects to the measurement chapters in research design texts (King, Keohane, Verba) that treat variables without theorizing the concept level.