A teacher notices that a group of young children in her class often struggle to understand why their friend is upset when they take a toy away from them. Based on Piaget's stages of cognitive development, what might explain their behavior?

The teacher's observation can be explained by Piaget's stages of cognitive development, particularly the preoperational stage, which typically includes children aged 2 to 7 years. During this stage, children are often egocentric, meaning they have difficulty seeing things from another person's perspective. For example, when one child takes a toy away, they may not understand that their friend feels sad or upset because they are focused on their own desire to play with the toy. This limited understanding of emotions and perspectives can lead to misunderstandings in social situations, as the children may not yet grasp how their actions affect others. As they grow and develop, they will begin to learn empathy and how to recognize and respond to the feelings of their friends.