Dr. Waldron is conducting an experiment and shows a child two clay "sausages" that are identical in size and shape. He then allows the child to watch as he rolls one of the clay sausages into a longer, thinner sausage. Dr. Waldron then asks the child whether the two clay sausages still contain the same amount of clay. A child in Piaget's preoperational stage would be MOST likely to say
A) "Yes, they have the same amount of clay."
B) "No, the longer sausage has more clay than the shorter sausage."
C) "No, the shorter sausage has more clay than the longer sausage."
D) "Wait, I don't understand. How did you make that sausage bigger?"

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Children in Piaget's preoperational stage (ages 2-7) often focus on the apparent, visible aspects of objects and do not understand the concept of conservation—the idea that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance. Thus, they are likely to judge the amount of clay based on its length, assuming the longer sausage has more clay.

Dr Waldron Is Conducting an Experiment and Shows a Child