What is the term for when a child incorrectly identifies a bald man as their father?

The term that best describes the situation where a child incorrectly identifies a bald man as their father is overgeneralizing. This phenomenon occurs when a child applies a learned characteristic (in this case, the baldness) too broadly, leading them to assume that all bald men are their father.

Overgeneralization is a cognitive developmental process where children, in their efforts to make sense of the world around them, take specific instances and apply them to broader categories without the necessary discriminative skills. In early childhood, this can occur when children draw conclusions from limited experiences, which is often part of their learning and cognitive growth.

This process contrasts with the other terms provided. Projection refers to attributing one’s feelings or thoughts onto another person, which is not applicable in this situation. Misidentification could imply an error in identifying someone based on different criteria, but it doesn't fully encapsulate the cognitive aspect of applying learned attributes incorrectly. Lastly, association error relates more to incorrect linking of ideas rather than to mistaken identity based on general characteristics.

Through this analysis, it becomes clear that the child's mistake stems from a generalization based on the observed characteristic, categorizing all bald men similarly without individual differences in mind.