What term describes the tendency for children to think about the world exclusively from their own perspective?

The term that describes the tendency for children to think about the world exclusively from their own perspective is egocentrism. This concept is prominently associated with developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, who identified egocentrism as a hallmark of the preoperational stage of cognitive development, which typically occurs from ages two to seven. During this stage, children struggle to see situations from perspectives other than their own, leading them to assume that others also share their thoughts, feelings, and viewpoints.

Egocentrism is evident in various behaviors, such as when a child assumes that if they like a particular toy or snack, then everyone else must like it too. This doesn't imply selfishness; rather, it's a natural part of cognitive development where children are still learning to understand and accommodate differing viewpoints.

In contrast, the other terms listed refer to different developmental concepts. Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed, typically developing in infants around six to eight months of age. Conservation refers to the realization that certain properties of objects, like volume or mass, remain the same despite changes in form or appearance, evident in the concrete operational stage. Concrete thinking signifies a cognitive style characterized by literal thinking and is often seen in younger children