Final answer:
The young child's inability to understand a competing viewpoint to their own is referred to as egocentrism. This cognitive change occurs around the ages of 2 to 3 years old and is characterized by a lack of awareness of others' perspectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
The young child's inability to understand a competing viewpoint to their own is referred to as egocentrism. At this stage of development, children typically only see things from their own perspective and have difficulty recognizing that others have different thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. This cognitive change occurs around the ages of 2 to 3 years old, and by ages 3 to 5, children begin to develop theory-of-mind (TOM) and can understand that others may have different beliefs or false beliefs.