Why ‘Socio‐cognitive Conflict’ may be Impossible: the status of egocentric errors in the dyadic performance of a spatial task

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Abstract
This study examines the neo‐Piagetian hypothesis that dyadic interaction between children within the preoperational age range performing a spatial perspective‐taking task will result in ‘socio‐cognitive conflict’ caused by a clash of egocentric perspectives. Such conflict was not found to be a feature of dyadic interaction on the perspective‐taking placement task used here because children who made egocentric errors did not counter their partner's correct placement and complied with a correct partner's counter of their errors. This was interpreted as being due to the ‘performance’, as opposed to ‘competence’, status of egocentric errors. Further features of the error‐making data reinforced the performance interpretation. It was concluded that this and other studies support the claim that peer interaction may facilitate the acquisition of basic concepts, because of incorrect children's compliance with correction not because of ‘socio‐cognitive conflict’.