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Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

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Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development highlights the role of egocentrism in children, particularly during the preoperational stage. The Three Mountains Task, created by Piaget and Inhelder, assesses children's ability to understand different perspectives, revealing a developmental progression in empathy and de-centering. Subsequent research has challenged and expanded upon these findings, offering new insights into early cognitive abilities.

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development: The Role of Egocentrism in Children

Jean Piaget, a seminal figure in developmental psychology, theorized that children's cognitive abilities develop through a series of stages, each characterized by distinct ways of thinking and understanding the world. One of the key concepts in Piaget's theory is egocentrism, which is most prominent during the preoperational stage, typically from ages two to seven. Egocentrism refers to the child's difficulty in seeing situations from perspectives other than their own. As children mature and enter the concrete operational stage, usually beginning around age seven, they start to exhibit a greater capacity for empathy and perspective-taking, overcoming the egocentric tendencies of earlier years.
4-5 year old child with short curly hair focuses on a three-dimensional mountain model with small figures on a round table.

The Three Mountains Task: Assessing Perspective-Taking in Children

Piaget, along with his colleague Barbel Inhelder, developed the three mountains task to empirically test the degree of egocentrism in children. This experiment involved a model with three mountains, each with distinct features, and children were asked to choose a photograph that represented the view from a doll's perspective, placed at various positions around the model. The task was designed to determine whether children could set aside their own viewpoint and accurately identify what the doll would see, thereby assessing their ability to de-center and understand that others may have different perspectives.

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Piaget's Developmental Stages

Series of cognitive stages in child development: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational.

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Preoperational Stage Age Range

Typically from ages 2 to 7, characterized by symbolic thinking and difficulty understanding other perspectives.

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Concrete Operational Stage Development

Begins around age 7, marked by logical thought, perspective-taking, and overcoming egocentrism.

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