Question

A specific test that a researcher could perform in order to determine if a child is egocentric would be to

Answer 1

• In Piaget’s original test of egocentrism the child is shown a three dimensional model of three
  mountains. They are different sizes and colours and have different features (e.g. a cross, a house,
  some snow).
• After the child has had an opportunity to explore the model, a doll is introduced. The
  doll is placed so that it is ‘looking’ at the model from a different position from the child’s. The child
  is asked what the doll can see, and indicates its answer by choosing one from a range of pictures,
  each showing the mountains from a different point of view.
• Piaget and Inhelder (1956) found that four year-olds almost always chose a picture that represented
  what they could see and showed no awareness that the doll’s view would be different from this. Six
  year-olds frequently chose a picture different from their own view but rarely chose the correct
  picture for the doll’s point of view. Only at seven or eight years old did children consistently choose
  the picture that matched the doll’s viewpoint.
• A test performed to determine child is egocentric would be to measure his pre-operational stage. During this stage children have difficulties in thinking about various aspects and mostly its about them.