How is a level deemed legitimate in the cognitive science framework described?

• A. It can successfully make causal predictions using the level's ontology
• B. It has the most experimental data
• C. It aligns with popular belief
• D. It is the easiest to teach

Answer: (A)

A level is considered legitimate when its ontological commitments enable it to make causal predictions about the phenomena it aims to explain, and those predictions can be tested against data. In other words, the level must have explanatory power: it should specify mechanisms at its scale and allow you to predict how changes at that level will causally affect outcomes. This makes the level scientifically meaningful because predictions are falsifiable and informative about how the system works. For example, a level that describes processes at a neural or computational level should yield testable predictions about how manipulating those processes changes behavior, and those predictions should align with observed results. The other options don’t establish legitimacy because having the most experimental data, aligning with popular belief, or being the easiest to teach don’t guarantee that a level actually explains and predicts phenomena in a causal, testable way.