Study: Piaget and Inhelder (1956) Three mountains task

Introduction: Can You See What I See?

Have you ever noticed how a toddler might "hide" by covering their own eyes, thinking that if they can’t see you, then you can’t see them? This is a great example of egocentrism. In this chapter, we are looking at a very famous study by Piaget and Inhelder (1956) called the "Three Mountains Task."

This study was designed to prove one of the most important parts of Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development: the idea that young children are egocentric and literally cannot see the world from someone else’s point of view.

What is Egocentrism?

In psychology, egocentrism doesn't mean being "selfish." Instead, it means a child's inability to see a situation from another person's point of view. They assume that everyone else sees, hears, and feels exactly the same way they do.

Aims of the Study

Piaget and Inhelder wanted to find out:

1. At what age children stop being egocentric.
2. How children look at a 3D model of a mountain range and whether they can realize that a person standing somewhere else would see a different view.

The Procedure: How did they do it?

Piaget and Inhelder studied a total of \(100\) children between the ages of \(4\) and \(12\) years old. Here is how the experiment worked:

1. The Model

The researchers built a model of three mountains. They weren't all the same:

Mountain 1 (The Green Mountain): The lowest mountain. It had a small house on top.
Mountain 2 (The Brown Mountain): Mid-sized. It had a red cross on top.
Mountain 3 (The Grey Mountain): The highest mountain. It had a snow-covered peak.

2. The Task

The child was asked to walk around the model to get to know it. Then, they were sat down on one side of the table. A doll was placed at a different position around the table (at a different "viewpoint").

3. The Questions

To see what the child thought the doll saw, the researchers used three main methods:

A. Cardboard shapes: The child was given pieces of card representing the mountains and asked to arrange them to show what the doll could see.
B. Pictures: The child was shown 10 pictures of the mountains from different angles and had to pick the one that showed the doll's view.
C. Choosing the doll's position: The child chose a picture and then had to place the doll in the position that would see that view.

Findings: What did they discover?

The results showed a clear difference between age groups:

The Pre-operational Stage (Ages \(4\) to \(6\))

Children in this age group showed egocentrism. When asked what the doll could see, they almost always picked the picture that showed their own view. They could not understand that the doll, sitting in a different chair, would have a different perspective. Even if they tried to pick a different picture, they usually went back to their own view.

The Concrete Operational Stage (Ages \(7\) to \(9\))

At about age \(7\), children started to realize that people in different places see different things. By age \(8\) or \(9\), they could successfully pick the doll’s view every time. They had "de-centred" (the opposite of egocentrism).

Conclusions

Piaget and Inhelder concluded that:

1. Children in the pre-operational stage are egocentric.
2. Children in the concrete operational stage have lost their egocentrism and can coordinate different perspectives.
3. This supports Piaget's theory that cognitive development happens in distinct stages.

Evaluating the Study (Strengths & Weaknesses)

In your exam, you need to be able to "critique" the study. Use these points to build your AO3 (evaluation) marks.

Strengths

+ High Reliability: The researchers used a very standardized procedure. Every child saw the same mountains and was asked the same questions. This means the study is easy to repeat to see if the results are consistent.

+ Qualitative Data: Piaget didn't just look at "right or wrong" answers. He listened to the children’s explanations, which gave him rich detail and a deeper understanding of how their minds were working.

Weaknesses

- Low Ecological Validity: The task was very artificial. In real life, children don't often sit around looking at cardboard mountains. Some psychologists argue that because the task didn't make "human sense," children struggled with it more than they would have in a real-world situation.

- The Task was Too Hard: Other researchers (like Borke or Hughes) found that if you use a simpler task—like a "hide and seek" game with a doll and a policeman—even \(3\) or \(4\)-year-olds can see another person’s perspective. This suggests Piaget might have underestimated when children stop being egocentric.

Quick Review Box

Participants: \(100\) children (\(4-12\) years old).
Key Term: Egocentrism (thinking everyone sees what you see).
The Shift: Children aged \(4-6\) were egocentric; children aged \(7-9\) could take the doll's perspective.
Exam Tip: If a question asks about validity, remember to mention that the "Three Mountains Task" was quite confusing for children, which might mean it wasn't measuring their actual ability, but just how well they understood a difficult game!

Remember: This study is often used to support Piaget's Stages of Development. If you are writing an essay on Piaget's theory, this is the perfect piece of evidence to include!