While sitting with her parents in a restaurant waiting for service, four-year-old Elana watches as the waitress walks by without taking their order. "Mommy," she whines to her mother, "why isn't she talking to us when I'm so hungry?" Elana's belief that the waitress must know how hungry she is demonstrates the Piagetian concept of
A) equilibration.
B) egocentrism.
C) centration.
D) object permanence.

Question

While sitting with her parents in a restaurant waiting for service, four-year-old Elana watches as the waitress walks by without taking their order. "Mommy," she whines to her mother, "why isn't she talking to us when I'm so hungry?" Elana's belief that the waitress must know how hungry she is demonstrates the Piagetian concept of
A) ​equilibration.
B) ​egocentrism.
C) ​centration.
D) ​object permanence.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Elana's belief that the waitress should know how hungry she is because she is hungry herself demonstrates egocentrism, which is the Piagetian concept that describes a child's inability to understand that others have different perspectives or beliefs. Elana assumes that the waitress has the same perspective as hers and thus should understand her needs. Equilibration refers to the process of balancing existing information and experiences with new ones. Centration refers to a child's tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation, ignoring other important aspects. Object permanence refers to a child's understanding that an object continues to exist even if it is not visible. None of these concepts apply to Elana's behavior in this scenario.

While Sitting with Her Parents in a Restaurant Waiting for Service