A child is presented with two identical balls of clay. The experimenter rolls one ball into a long, thin shape; the other remains in its original ball form. The child is then asked if there is more clay in the ball or in the long, thin piece of clay. If the child answers the problem correctly but cannot use abstract reasoning yet, the child most likely is in which stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory?
A) sensorimotor stage
B) preoperational stage
C) formal operational stage
D) concrete operational stage

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11) is when children gain the ability to think logically about concrete events. They understand the concept of conservation (the understanding that quantity does not change despite changes in form), which is demonstrated in this scenario with the clay.

A Child Is Presented with Two Identical Balls of Clay