It only opens collections and never scrolls the list. Blender 5.2 has its own Scroll to Active option, on by default, which centers the list when the active object is already unfolded but out of view. Turn it off in the Outliner's Options popover to keep the Outliner perfectly still. To center an object on demand, hover the Outliner and press Period.

Yes: select them, then press Shift + Period.