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

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Grace's answer illustrates centration, which is the tendency to focus on one aspect of a situation while neglecting others. In this case, Grace focuses on the apparent larger size of the pancake shape without considering the dimension of thickness, leading her to incorrectly conclude that the pancake has more clay.

Grace Watches as Her Preschool Teacher Forms Two Identical Balls