Which one of the following is not a limitation of the preoperational thought?

The correct option is Development of the symbolic thought.

In Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the preoperational stage occurs roughly between the ages of 2 and 7 years. During this stage, children begin to engage in symbolic play and learn to manipulate symbols, but they do not yet understand concrete logic.

Let's analyze the characteristics listed in the options:

1. Egocentrism: This is a key limitation of preoperational thought, referring to the child's inability to see a situation from another person's point of view.
2. Irreversibility: This is another major limitation where a child cannot mentally reverse a series of events or logical operations back to their starting point.
3. Tendency to concentrate (Centration): This is a limitation characterized by focusing or centering attention on one characteristic or feature of a situation while ignoring all others.
4. Development of the symbolic thought: The ability to use symbols (such as words, gestures, or images) to represent objects, actions, and events is a major cognitive accomplishment and progress of this stage, rather than a cognitive limitation.

Therefore, Development of the symbolic thought is not a limitation of preoperational thought.