Gretchen watches as her preschool teacher forms two identical balls of modeling clay. The teacher gives one of the balls of modeling clay to Gretchen and then squashes the remaining ball into a flat pancake. She asks Gretchen if they both have the same amount of clay, and Gretchen confidently states that the teacher has more because the pancake is bigger than the ball. Gretchen's answer illustrates the flaw in thinking that Piaget labeled

Question

Gretchen watches as her preschool teacher forms two identical balls of modeling clay. The teacher gives one of the balls of modeling clay to Gretchen and then squashes the remaining ball into a flat pancake. She asks Gretchen if they both have the same amount of clay, and Gretchen confidently states that the teacher has more because the pancake is bigger than the ball. Gretchen's answer illustrates the flaw in thinking that Piaget labeled ​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gretchen's answer illustrates the concept of centration, which is a term used by Piaget to describe a kind of preoperational thinking where a child focuses on one noticeable aspect of a cognitive problem or object, neglecting other important aspects. In this case, Gretchen focuses solely on the apparent size (the width and length) of the pancake, ignoring the dimension of thickness and the fact that the amount of clay hasn't changed.

Gretchen Watches as Her Preschool Teacher Forms Two Identical Balls