You arrange two rows of pennies so they are equal in length. A child views the rows and states that they have the same amount of pennies. You spread out the pennies in the bottom row so that this row is longer than the top one. The child now states that the bottom row has more pennies. This child is in Piaget's ________ stage of development.
A) sensorimotor
B) formal operations
C) preoperational
D) concrete operations

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of conservation of number, which is a task commonly used in Piaget's theory to assess children's cognitive development. Children in the preoperational stage (ages 2-7) often fail this task as they have difficulty understanding that the amount of pennies remains the same despite changes in appearance or arrangement. The child's initial response of the rows having the same amount of pennies indicates their lack of conservation; their change in response after the arrangement is changed shows that they are beginning to understand conservation, but are not fully there yet.

You Arrange Two Rows of Pennies So They Are Equal