A Model Hierarchy for Psychological Science

Lee et al. (2019) provided a comprehensive list of recommendations for modelers thataims at improving the robustness of their results. Drawing from the literature onphilosophy of science, the present commentary argues for a broader view of modeling that considers the different roles that they play in our scientific practices. Following Suppes (1966), I propose a model hierarchy and discuss the distinct issues that arise at each of its levels. The benefit of a hierarchy of this kind is that it can aid researchers in better understanding the different challenges that they face.