What does centration involve in cognitive development?

Centration involves focusing on only one feature of a problem, which is a key concept in cognitive development, particularly in the context of children's thinking in the preoperational stage as proposed by Piaget. During this developmental stage, children tend to concentrate on a single aspect of an object or situation, often leading to errors in reasoning. For instance, when presented with two glasses of water, if one glass is taller but narrower and the other is shorter but wider, a child may focus solely on the height of the taller glass and conclude it holds more water, disregarding the other dimensions that also contribute to volume.

This characteristic is important because it illustrates how cognitive processing evolves over time. As children develop, they gradually learn to decenter, meaning they begin to consider multiple features or perspectives of a problem instead of just one. This shift reflects a more advanced level of cognitive processing that enables better understanding and problem-solving as they grow older.