In a number conservation task a set of discrete items is laid out in two rows.First the items in the two rows are laid out in exactly the same way,and then the items in one row are moved farther apart.Typically,3- and 4-year-olds
A)recognize that the rows have the same number when they are arranged identically,but believe there are more items when they are farther apart.
B)have no trouble with simple number conservation tasks like this,but make mistakes with more abstract math problems.
C)can easily decenter from the number of objects to consider the spacing of items at the same time.
D)realize that number of items is conserved when they are moved around,because they take into account all the relevant observations at once.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The passage states that 3- and 4-year-olds recognize that the rows have the same number when they are arranged identically but believe there are more items when they are farther apart. This indicates that they do not yet understand number conservation and are fooled by the spatial arrangement of the items.

In a Number Conservation Task a Set of Discrete Items