Concept

Concepts are the building blocks of theory. They are "higher forms of generalization” (Vygotsky, 1986, p.165), where generalization is achieved through verbal thinking. Thus, concepts can be seen as verbal tools that serve the purpose of assisting us in making sense of phenomena by our categorizing them and assigning a name (the concept) to each category. This requires an awareness of similarity, out of which the need for generalization arises. Generalization does not require abstract thinking (Vygotsky, p. 143), since it is the categorization of what is seen. Abstraction happens when out of generalization forms emerge that are separate from differently exemplified content;m it is an act of logical intuition. (Langer, 1990). An extremely fruitful way of abstraction in constructing concepts is abduction (Reichertz, 2007). A concept is only operational “together with its system of relations that determine its measure of generality”(Vygotsky, 1986, p.173). This means that a concept is abstracted out of its immediate environment, the direct experience and is viewed as part of a system of signs. "Theoretical science is based not only upon generalized observation, but upon principles of interpretation, which are purely formal, and determine our recognition of events and entities" (Langer, 1990, p. 132). Thus concepts developed through abstraction do not only account for the content of former experience, but serve as a way for new experience to be anticipated.
 * General Definition**

Concepts and complexes arise at different levels of cognitive development. According to Vygostky (1986) children first think in complexes, where the association between the members of a category is rather lose and closely connected to perceptual impressions of a moment. As children’s’ development progresses, they rely less and less on complexes formed by their own associations and attributions and begin using pesudonconcepts that stand for categories cretaed by adults. Thus when a child uses a pseudoconcept they don’t create their own categories, rather they use ready-made categories. When children begin school, they are influenced by the associations they make when using scientific concepts, and eventually are able to make the generalizations that are required for concept formation. This development does not happen in stages, complexes and pseudoconcepts can be present in a child's mind simultaneously with concepts.
 * From Complex through Pseudoconcept to Concept in Cognitive Psychology (Vygotsky)**

According to Langer (1962), formulating theory by using a philosophical method of inquiry that seeks to explain the process of meaning making results in conceptual theories, that differ from causal theories and their aim to explain facts. In addition, Deleuze and Guattari (quoted by Gane and Beer, 2008) promote “the pedagogy of concepts” and claim that the need for a concept arises from a research problem or more specifically, from a “junction of problems” (p. 5). Thus, concept formation is not a philosophical process disconnected from reality, but rather a systematic approach one needs to take when faced with a group of problems. The combination of concepts (theory) that we develop when we try to make meaning of a set of problems will serve as a working vocabulary in our attempt to solve these problems.
 * Concept and Theory Production**

References: Gane, N. and Beer, D. (2008) New media: The key concepts. New York: Berg.

Langer, S. K. (1962). Philosophical sketches. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP.

Langer, S. (1990) //Practice of Philosophy.// New York: Henry Holt & Company.

Reichertz, J. (2007). Abduction: The logic of discovery of grounded theory. In A. Bryant and K. Charmz (Eds.), //The SAGE Handbook of Grounded Theory// (pp. 214-228). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.

Vygotsky, L. (1986). //Thought and Language.// Ed. Alex Kozulin. The MIT Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts.