Donny's mother has just poured two glasses of orange juice, one for Donny and one for his sister. After they are poured, Donny becomes very upset that he got less juice than his sister. Their mother points out that while Donny's glass is short, it is also wider, and thus both children have the same amount. Donny continues to protest, arguing that his juice is shorter, thus he has less juice. Piaget would explain Donny's behavior as being the result of
A) animism.
B) centration.
C) intonation.
D) a primary circular reaction.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Donny's behavior is an example of centration, a concept from Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Centration refers to the tendency of children in the preoperational stage to focus on one aspect of a situation while neglecting others. In this case, Donny is focusing solely on the height of the juice in the glass, ignoring the width that compensates for the difference in height.

Donny's Mother Has Just Poured Two Glasses of Orange Juice