PRE OPERATIONS o Tends to be absolute instead of relative o 2 5ish years of age o Example sticks are either long or they re short not longER or shortER o Tends to focus on individual characteristics one thing at a time o Don t make connections between events or see common denominators among objects o Cannot realize transformations in objects o 4 domains 1 Egocentrism of perspective taking a Assumption of physical what I see is what everyone else sees b The 3 mountain problem i Walk kid around and look at all sides of mountains then as kid what they see on one side then asks what the other person sees on the other side ii Kids say what they see for both c In hide and seek if I can t see you you can t see me d More psychological perspective what I want is what everyone wants e Can see carryovers in a much more sophisticated level even as adults we assume that how we react to situations is how everyone will react 2 Concepts of causality a Finalism i Everything has a final cause b Artificialism i Something causes everything ii Nothing is random iii Everything has psychological meaning or purpose iv Two type of why s 1 Physical 2 Psychological v For young children these go together c Animism i Belief that things are alive that educated western adults don t believe are alive ii If it can change state it s alive 1 Light it can turn off and on iii If it moves it s alive 1 Bicycles 2 Cars 3 Egocentrism of language a Language which is not that interactive b Does not appear to respond to what the other person knows c Collective monologues 3 yr olds basically talking to herself two babies looking like they re having a conversation but what s being talked about has nothing to do with each other idea that if someone says something you have to say something back d Don t recognize what you do or do not know 4 Qualitative identity or appearance reality a If you change what something looks like does it turn into literally something else all the time b Example Halloween daddy is dressed as a pirate and 3 year old is terrified because daddy has turned into another person