Theresa, who is 4 years old, thinks that her sister is a princess when she wears a tiara in her hair, and a servant when she wears old clothes. Theresa MOST likely is in the _____ stage of development, and has not developed the Piagetian concept of _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Theresa's belief that her sister can only be one thing (a princess or a servant) based on her appearance suggests that she does not yet understand the concept of identity constancy, which is a characteristic of the preoperational stage of development according to Piaget. Option A is incorrect because the formal operations stage, which includes abstract reasoning and hypothesis testing, does not typically occur until adolescence. Option B is incorrect because centering, or the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a problem or situation, is also typical of the preoperational stage.

Theresa, Who Is 4 Years Old, Thinks That Her Sister