Back to the full dot-point answer
EnglandPsychologyQuick questions
Topic 1: Development
Quick questions on Piaget and Inhelder (1956) three mountains core study - Edexcel GCSE Psychology
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are strengths?Show answer
The procedure was standardised (the same model, doll positions and pictures every time), making it replicable and its results reliable. The findings also fit Piaget's wider theory, giving converging evidence for egocentrism.
What are weaknesses?Show answer
The task is artificial and unfamiliar: a model of three mountains is nothing like a child's everyday experience, so it may underestimate children. Choosing from ten pictures is cognitively demanding, so a wrong choice might reflect task difficulty rather than true egocentrism. Crucially, when the task is made more child-friendly (as in Hughes' policeman doll task, where children as young as four hid a boy doll from one or two policeman dolls), children can take another viewpoint, suggesting Piaget overstated egocentrism.
What is q1?Show answer
What was the aim of Piaget and Inhelder's three mountains study? [1 mark]
What is q2?Show answer
State one strength of the study. [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain one reason the study may underestimate children. [2 marks]
Have a question we have not covered?
This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.