Final answer:
Animism is a worldview that believes in the divinity or spiritual agency of nonhuman beings, such as animals, plants, and objects of the natural world. It relates to Piaget's preoperational stage of development, in which children engage in magical thinking. Animism also reflects an early understanding of mental states in the Theory of Mind.
Step-by-step explanation:
Animism is a worldview that believes in the divinity or spiritual agency of nonhuman beings such as animals, plants, and objects of the natural world. It suggests that everything in nature has a supernatural element.
In terms of Piaget's stages of development, animism relates to the preoperational stage. In this stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 2 and 7, children tend to engage in magical thinking and attribute human-like qualities and intentions to inanimate objects.
As for the relationship to Theory of Mind, animism can be seen as an example of an early understanding of mental states. In animistic thinking, children believe that even non-living things have thoughts, feelings, and intentions, reflecting a developing understanding of the inner mental lives of others.