Donny's mother has just poured glasses of orange juice for Donny and his sister Maddie. 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. According to Piaget, what would explain Donny's behaviour?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Donny's behaviour is exhibiting centration, which is the tendency for a child to focus only on one aspect of a situation or object while ignoring other important aspects. In this case, he's focusing only on the height of his glass and ignoring the fact that it is wider than his sister's, leading him to believe that he has less juice.

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