Olivia, 3-year-old girl, loves to play with her toy train. She names it Max and takes it with her everywhere. One day, while dri
nking milk, she spills the milk on the floor. To avoid being scolded, Olivia tells her mother that Max has spilled the milk. Another day, she blames Max for soiling her dress. In the context of cognitive development in early childhood, this scenario illustrates the concept of ___________>
In the context of Jean Piaget's cognitive development, animism is children's belief that their toys are alive. More specifically, animism occurs during the preoperational stage, when children are at the age of two until seven.
Olivia, as a child who is still at this stage of cognitive development, lacks the ability to use logic - although it understands symbolic thoughts. Since she held the belief of animism, Olivia thinks that Max is just like her, and thus she can blame her toy train for the things that occur to her - which is also an indicator of egocentrism, another aspect of this stage.
