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Children in Jean Piaget's stage of preoperational thought have difficulty understanding that another person's thoughts and opinions are different from their own. This type of thinking is referred to as

  1. egocentrism

  2. animism

  3. artificialism

  4. magical thinking

The correct answer is: egocentrism

Egocentrism refers to the tendency for young children to perceive the world only from their own perspective and to have difficulty understanding that others may see things differently. This is because in Piaget's stage of preoperational thought, children do not yet have the cognitive ability to take on the perspectives of others. Option B, animism, refers to the belief that inanimate objects have human-like qualities. Option C, artificialism, refers to the belief that natural phenomena are created by humans. Option D, magical thinking, refers to the belief that thoughts can influence events, a characteristic of young children that is unrelated to understanding others' perspectives. Therefore, option A, egocentrism, is the most accurate term to describe this type of thinking.