A child who thinks he or she gets more meat by cutting up one large piece into several smaller ones illustrates the particular inability that is characteristic of Piaget's __________ stage.
A) concretely operational
B) formally operational
C) preoperational
D) preverbal

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of the preoperational stage. Children in this stage are unable to understand conservation - the concept that the amount of a substance remains the same despite changes in its shape or arrangement. In this case, the child believes that cutting up a larger piece of meat will result in more meat overall, because they are unable to understand that the total amount of meat remains the same regardless of how it is divided.

A Child Who Thinks He or She Gets More Meat