Nine-year-old Ryan thinks through a series of steps, and then mentally changes direction, returning to the starting point. Ryan is capable of
A) conservation.
B) reversibility.
C) decentration.
D) seriation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ryan's ability to mentally reverse his steps indicates that he has developed the concept of reversibility, which is a key aspect of concrete operational thought according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Conservation refers to the understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape, decentration refers to the ability to consider multiple aspects of a problem simultaneously, and seriation refers to the ability to arrange objects in a particular order based on quantitative dimensions. While these are all important cognitive milestones, they do not directly relate to Ryan's mental process of reversing his steps.

Nine-Year-Old Ryan Thinks Through a Series of Steps, and Then