Cognitive abilities to retrieve immediate knowledge and experience of the pre -operational child (age 2 - 6)
             The project is based on Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development
             Based on Piaget's theory, children during the pre - operational stage have acquired the ability to stand apart and view themselves from another person's perspective. They are able to describe themselves as different from other children by listing their unique characteristics, especially the fact that their names are different. They develop a more complex understanding of themselves, such as age, name, family etc.. During the same stage children become aware of and use gender as a dimension by which to classify people. Once children become aware of their own sex, they learn to label themselves as boy or girl. Early childhood is the time when children start to learn family values, and become a cooperative part of the family with their own responsibilities. They spend countless hours of play and other activities with their siblings. Although young children may use words reflecting an understanding of time, such as minute, hour, day, or week, they still confuse the concept of time and space.
             Based on Piaget's theory, I believe that the interviewed children will know their age, name, gender, and their siblings. I do not expect to know their exact birthday and address because it is still too abstract for them. Furthermore, I do not expect that the background/culture is influencing the children's answers to my questions. I believe that all four tested children do understand and are able to answer my questions.
             Interviewing four children from different backgrounds was the method use to
             assess the children's cognitive development. The four-year-old identical twin girls were interviewed in the living room of their parents' house. Each girl was interviewed separately. The five-year-old German boy was...