In child development, what is 'animism' exemplified by?

Animism in child development refers to the tendency of children, particularly in the preoperational stage as described by Jean Piaget, to attribute life-like qualities, emotions, and intentions to inanimate objects. This is a natural part of their developmental process and reflects their imaginative thinking. For example, a child might believe that their stuffed animal feels sad when it's left alone or that a tree is happy when the sun shines. This belief shows how children use their imagination to explain the world around them, as they don't yet fully understand the distinction between animate and inanimate beings.

The other concepts, such as reasoning logically about concrete events, understanding conservation of mass and volume, or focusing on multiple characteristics of objects, are related to cognitive advancements that typically occur in later stages of development, beyond animism. Therefore, believing that inanimate objects can possess emotions is a clear example of animism and aligns with the developmental characteristics observed in young children.