The three mountains task examines the development of: 1 point a. egocentrism b. environmentalism c. reflexes d. accommodation e. none of the above
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
a. egocentrism
The three mountains task is a classic experiment in developmental psychology, designed by Jean Piaget and Bärbel Inhelder, to specifically investigate the presence and decline of egocentrism in children.
In the context of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, egocentrism refers to a child’s inability to see a situation from another person’s point of view. A child at the preoperational stage (typically ages 2 to 7) assumes that other people see, hear, and feel exactly the same as the child does. It is a cognitive limitation, notentrism.**
Explanation:
The three mountains task is a classic experiment in developmental psychology, designed by Jean Piaget and Bärbel Inhelder to investigate a child’s cognitive development. Specifically, it examines the concept of egocentrism, which is a defining characteristic of Piaget’s preoperational stage of development (typically occurring between the ages of 2 and 7).
In this context, egocentrism does not refer to selfishness or conceit. Instead, it describes a cognitive limitation where a child is unable to differentiate between their own perspective and that of another person. A child demonstrating egocentrism assumes that other people see, hear, and feel exactly the same way they do. They have not yet developed the mental capacity to take on another’s viewpoint, a skill known as perspective-taking.
The experiment is conducted using a three-dimensional model of three mountains, each with unique features, such as a different color, a house on one, a cross on another, and snow on a third. A child is seated at one side of the model and allowed to familiarize themselves with it. Then, a doll is placed at a different position around the table. The child is asked to describe what the doll can see from its vantage point. This is often done by having the child choose from a series of pictures, each depicting the mountains from a different perspective.
A child in the preoperational stage will typically choose the picture that shows their own view of the mountains, not the doll’s. They are unable to mentally reconstruct the scene from the doll’s location. This response demonstrates their egocentric thinking; they cannot separate their own visual experience from what the doll would be experiencing. As children mature and move into the concrete operational stage, they gradually overcome this egocentrism and become able to correctly identify the doll’s perspective.
The other options are incorrect. Accommodation is a Piagetian concept, but it refers to the process of altering existing mental schemas to incorporate new information; it is the mechanism of learning, not what is being directly measured. Reflexes are involuntary actions, typically studied in infancy, and are unrelated to the complex cognitive task presented here. Environmentalism is a social and political ideology concerning the natural world and has no relevance to this psychological experiment. a form of selfishness.
The experiment itself involves a child being seated in front of a three-dimensional model of three mountains, each with unique features like a different color, size, or a landmark such as a cross or a house. A doll is then placed at a different position around the model. The child is asked to describe what the doll would be able to see from its vantage point. This is often done by having the child choose from a set of pictures showing various perspectives of the mountains.
A preoperational, egocentric child will almost always choose the picture that represents their own view of the mountain scene. They are unable to mentally perform the spatial transformation required to imagine the doll’s perspective. This demonstrates their egocentrism. As a child matures and transitions out of this stage, they develop the ability to “decenter” and correctly identify the doll’s perspective, showing a decline in egocentric thought.
The other options are incorrect. Environmentalism is a concern for the natural world or a theoretical stance in the nature-nurture debate. Reflexes are automatic, involuntary responses typically studied in infants. Accommodation is a Piagetian concept, but it describes the process of altering one’s existing mental frameworks (schemas) to incorporate new information; while overcoming egocentrism involves accommodation, the task itself is a direct measure of egocentrism.
