A four-year-old child is shown a row of seven red checkers. He is asked to place a black checker immediately above each red one. On doing so, the child agrees that there are as many red as black checkers. The experimenter then spreads out the black checkers so that the line they form is longer than that formed by the red checkers. The experimenter asks whether there are more red checkers or more black checkers in order to determine whether the child:
A)has attained object permanence
B)demonstrates conservation
C)can perform formal operations
D)has a theory of mind

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario tests for the concept of conservation, which is the understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or arrangement. The child's ability to recognize that the number of checkers hasn't changed, despite the difference in the spatial arrangement, would indicate they have developed this cognitive skill.

A Four-Year-Old Child Is Shown a Row of Seven Red