A 4-year-old watches her caregiver pour liquid from a short, wide glass into a tall, thin glass. She believes that there is now more liquid in the tall glass than there was in the short glass. Her conclusion is an example of

• A. object permanence.
• B. irreversibility
• C. centration.
• D. egocentrism.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the key concept being tested in the problem: The child believes there is more liquid in the tall glass than in the short glass after it is poured, which indicates a focus on one aspect of the situation.
2. Understand the concept of 'centration': In developmental psychology, centration is the tendency of a young child to focus on one salient aspect of a situation and neglect other, possibly relevant aspects.
3. Relate the concept to Piaget's theory: According to Jean Piaget, centration is a characteristic of the preoperational stage of cognitive development, typically observed in children aged 2 to 7 years.
4. Differentiate from other concepts: Object permanence refers to understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, irreversibility is the inability to mentally reverse an action, and egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between one's own perspective and that of others.
5. Conclude that the child's belief that there is more liquid in the tall glass is an example of centration, as she is focusing on the height of the liquid rather than considering both height and width.