Levels of explanation

According to Doise there are 4 levels of explanation (or analysis)

1. The intra-personal level
2. The inter-personal and situational level
3. The positional level
4. The ideological level

He stresses that these are 4 levels of analysis rather than 4 levels of reality.

The intra-personal level

How individuals organise their perception, their evaluation of their social millieu and their behaviour within this environment.
Research by the Piagetian school is at this level.
Examples of this work:
Anderson (1965, 1971)
Fishbein & Hunter (1964)
Their studies begin by measuring the value participants attach to particular personality traits measured in isolation (e.g., friendly, cheerful, hardworking)

References
Fishbein, M., Hunter, R. (1964), “Summation versus balance in attitude organisation and change”, Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, Vol. 69 pp.505-10.