Speech function as a measure of egocentrism in preschool children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential value of Piaget's (1959) method of assessing egocentrism and socialization through functional analysis in determining socializations lags in preschool children. Speech samples were collected from twenty children in the three to four year old age range, and the remarks of each child were categorized according to Piaget's classification system as either egocentric or social. A coefficient of egocentrism was computed for each child to evaluate his social orientation. The mean coefficient of egocentrism of the three year old group was greater than the coefficient of the four year old group. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to determine the relationship between age and the coefficient of egocentrism. The r value failed to be significant. An inverse relationship between age and egocentrism was indicated. The influence of sex on the coefficient was determined by a t test. The t score was significant in the 2 percent level of significance in favor of females. Findings indicated the Piaget's method of evaluation did not identify a significant difference in the social development of three and four year old children. The study was limited by the small sample size and the small age-range evaluated. Areas for further investigation were identified.