Final answer:
The claim that 5 and 6 year olds cannot differentiate between fact and fantasy is false. Children in this age range have some capacity for symbolic thought and can understand that others may hold false beliefs, indicating an emerging ability to discern reality from imagination.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cognitive and Psychosocial Development in Children:
The statement that a 5 and 6 year old does not understand that there is a difference between fact and fantasy is false. By the age of 4, children have developed a sense of theory-of-mind (TOM), which allows them to understand that others have different thoughts and beliefs. This indicates that children at this age can distinguish between fact and fantasy. In Piaget's stages of cognitive development, by the age of 5, children are still in the preoperational stage, during which they engage in pretend play and may not fully grasp the concept of conservation, but have the capacity for symbolic thinking and often display curiosity about the world around them, asking many 'Why?' questions. By 6 years old, children experience further cognitive development and begin to show more logical and organized thinking with concrete information.
Therefore, preschoolers and younger school-age children are developing cognitive skills that pertain to understanding reality versus make-believe. They engage in fantasy play but also start to use logic and reason, which helps them differentiate between real and imaginary scenarios to some extent.