Piaget Stage Theory » Hughes Policeman Doll Study

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Understand Piaget's theory of cognitive development and egocentrism
Learn about the limitations of Piaget's Three Mountains Task
Explore Hughes' Policeman Doll Study methodology and findings
Analyse how Hughes' study challenged Piaget's conclusions about egocentrism
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Hughes' research
Apply this knowledge to exam questions about cognitive development

Piaget's Theory and the Concept of Egocentrism

Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who developed one of the most influential theories of cognitive development. His stage theory suggests that children's thinking develops through four distinct stages, each with unique characteristics.

Key Definitions:

Cognitive development: The process by which a child's understanding of the world changes as a function of age and experience.
Egocentrism: The inability to see things from another person's perspective; thinking everyone sees the world exactly as you do.
Conservation: Understanding that physical properties of objects remain the same despite changes in appearance.

📖 Piaget's Four Stages

1. Sensorimotor (0-2 years)
Babies understand the world through sensory experiences and physical actions.

2. Pre-operational (2-7 years)
Children develop language and symbolic thinking but struggle with logical reasoning. Egocentrism is a key feature.

3. Concrete operational (7-11 years)
Children develop logical thinking about concrete events and can understand conservation.

4. Formal operational (11+ years)
Adolescents develop abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking.

💡 Egocentrism in the Pre-operational Stage

According to Piaget, pre-operational children (ages 2-7) are highly egocentric. This means they:

Cannot take another person's perspective
Assume everyone sees what they see
Struggle to understand that others might have different views
Find it difficult to imagine how objects look from different positions

Piaget's Three Mountains Task

To test his theory of egocentrism, Piaget and his colleague Inhelder developed the Three Mountains Task in 1956. This classic experiment aimed to measure whether children could understand that others might see things differently from themselves.

Piaget's Three Mountains Experiment

Method: Children aged 4-12 were shown a model of three mountains of different colours and heights. They sat on one side of the model, with a doll placed at various positions around it. Children were asked to select photos showing what the doll could see from its position.

Results: Children under 7 typically selected the picture showing their own view, not the doll's perspective. Piaget concluded this confirmed their egocentrism.

Conclusion: Piaget believed this showed pre-operational children cannot take another's perspective and are therefore egocentric thinkers.

Criticisms of Piaget's Three Mountains Task

While Piaget's work was groundbreaking, researchers began to question whether his Three Mountains Task truly measured children's ability to take another's perspective. Critics argued that:

❌ Task Complexity

The mountains task was too abstract and complex for young children to understand, requiring them to mentally rotate unfamiliar objects.

❌ Artificial Setting

The laboratory setting and unfamiliar materials might have confused children, making them perform worse than they would in real-life situations.

❌ Unclear Instructions

The task's instructions may have been confusing and children might not have fully understood what was being asked of them.

Hughes' Policeman Doll Study

In 1975, Martin Hughes designed a study to address these criticisms and test whether children were truly as egocentric as Piaget claimed. Hughes believed that using a more child-friendly, familiar context would reveal different results.

Case Study: Hughes' Policeman Doll Study (1975)

Aim: To investigate whether young children can take another person's visual perspective when the task is presented in a familiar, meaningful context.

Participants: 30 children aged 3½-5 years (pre-operational stage according to Piaget).

Method: Hughes created a model with two intersecting walls forming a cross shape. He used two small dolls - a 'boy' doll and a 'policeman' doll. Children were told the boy doll was trying to hide from the policeman. The researcher placed the policeman doll in different positions and asked the child to hide the boy doll where the policeman couldn't see him. This required understanding what the policeman could and couldn't see from different positions.

Results: 90% of children correctly placed the boy doll in positions where he would be hidden from the policeman's view. Even the youngest children (3½ years) were successful on 85% of trials.

Conclusion: Hughes concluded that young children are not as egocentric as Piaget claimed. When tasks are presented in a meaningful, familiar context, children can demonstrate perspective-taking abilities much earlier than Piaget suggested.

Why Hughes' Study Challenged Piaget's Theory

Hughes' findings directly contradicted Piaget's conclusions about egocentrism in pre-operational children. This study was significant for several reasons:

💡 Key Improvements in Hughes' Study

Familiar context: The hide-and-seek scenario was something children could relate to and understand.
Meaningful task: Children understood the purpose of hiding from the policeman, making the task more engaging.
Simpler design: The walls created clear lines of sight that were easier to understand than the complex mountain shapes.
Active participation: Children actively placed the doll rather than just selecting photos.

👥 Implications for Piaget's Theory

Hughes' study suggested that:

Children are less egocentric than Piaget believed
Cognitive abilities may develop earlier than Piaget's stages suggest
Task design and context significantly affect children's performance
Piaget may have underestimated children's abilities due to methodological issues

Evaluating Hughes' Policeman Doll Study

While Hughes' study provided important insights, it's essential to evaluate its strengths and limitations:

👍 Strengths

Used a child-friendly, meaningful context
Clear, simple design with straightforward task
High ecological validity compared to Piaget's abstract task
Findings supported by later research

👎 Limitations

Small sample size of 30 children
Potential researcher bias in interpreting results
Laboratory setting still somewhat artificial
Cultural factors not fully considered

💭 Wider Impact

Led to reassessment of Piaget's stage theory
Influenced more child-friendly research methods
Showed importance of task design in developmental research
Contributed to more nuanced understanding of cognitive development

Modern Perspectives on Egocentrism

Today, psychologists have a more nuanced view of egocentrism and perspective-taking in children:

Current Understanding of Perspective-Taking

Modern research suggests that:

Children as young as 2-3 years can show some perspective-taking abilities in the right contexts
Perspective-taking develops gradually rather than suddenly appearing at a specific age
Children's abilities are heavily influenced by task complexity, familiarity and motivation
There are different types of perspective-taking (visual, cognitive, emotional) that develop at different rates
Cultural factors and social experiences influence the development of perspective-taking

Applying This Knowledge in Exams

For your GCSE Psychology exam, you should be able to:

✏️ Exam Application

Describe Piaget's concept of egocentrism and how it fits into his stage theory
Outline the Three Mountains Task and its limitations
Explain Hughes' Policeman Doll Study methodology and findings
Compare and contrast the two studies
Evaluate how Hughes' study challenged Piaget's conclusions
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches
Explain the implications for our understanding of children's cognitive development

📝 Key Points to Remember

Piaget believed pre-operational children (2-7 years) are highly egocentric
The Three Mountains Task suggested children under 7 struggle with perspective-taking
Hughes created a more child-friendly task using familiar concepts
90% of children aged 3½-5 years succeeded in Hughes' task
This challenged Piaget's timeline for the development of perspective-taking
Task design and context significantly affect children's performance
Modern view: perspective-taking develops gradually and is context-dependent

🧠 Test Your Knowledge!